


I'll Be With You Through The Dark

by the_misfortune_teller



Series: Right Where I Belong [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (I can't write angst to save my life), Bottom!Stiles, Derek needs to learn to talk, Did I mention fluff?, Even More Fluff, First Time, Fluff, Hopefully not too OOC, M/M, Mentions of self harm (no graphic descriptions), Oral Sex, Post Season 2, Sad!Derek, Slow Build, Some drug use (not a lot really!), Some mentions of OMC/OFC, Top!Derek, Top!Stiles, angst-ish, bottom!Derek, stupid amount of epilogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-11-20 17:56:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 61
Words: 138,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_misfortune_teller/pseuds/the_misfortune_teller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Me and Scott talk about everything, about all my poor decisions.” </i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>“So I’m a poor decision?” </i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>“Probably, yes. Considering how you rudely threw me out of your apartment the other day after convincing me to kiss you and admit that I like you."</i></p><div class="center">
  <p>~</p>
</div>Set post Season 2 finale. Stiles is having a rough time at home and finds himself going to Derek for help in Scott's absence. He doesn't expect for Derek to end up turning to him for support, leading to something more than just friendship between them. Slow, slow, fluffy slow build!<p>*Based on the spoilers that just keep on coming, this is very likely to be canon divergent for s3!*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Teen Wolf fic I've written. This wasn't originally meant to be infinity words long, but it rapidly spiraled out of control some time around Christmas and I can't seem to stop writing the damn thing.
> 
> I think it'll probably be fairly obvious from my writing that I'm British; I try and minimise as many Britishisms as possible 'cause I know they wind a lot of people up, so apologies for any that crop up. 
> 
> Obviously quite a bit of this will be my own headcanon; I understand that not everyone will share my take on these characters, but I'd be grateful if people can at least respect my headcanon!! I've tried to keep them as in character as possible, and hopefully haven't done too bad a job (right?!). That said, it's time to get this show on the road!

Stiles sat in the back seat of his Jeep, one foot resting on the seat in front of him, The Offspring blasting through his headphones to drown out the altogether too creepy noises the woods outside were making. He was alternating between taking swigs from a bottle of cheap vodka and glaring morosely at the dark window to his right. He pulled a face as the alcohol burned his throat, blinking up at the roof of the jeep in a bid to stop himself from crying. That’s what the vodka was for, after all. To make all the bad things go away for a little while.

He groped in his pocket for his phone, and finding it, took several attempts to unlock it. _2:47am **.**_ The bright screen hurt his eyes in the darkness but he checked his inbox anyway. Still no messages from Scott. He considered sending another message to his so-called best friend but figured after begging Scott to contact him for the last four days, he’d just look pathetic. He took another large gulp of vodka, resting his head against the window as everything started to spin. He threw his phone angrily onto the front seat and let out a thoroughly unmanly shriek as the light from the screen illuminated Derek Hale, inexplicably seated in the driver’s seat.

“What the hell are you doing in my car?” He demanded, pulling out his ear phones, aware that he was slurring his words and not caring.

“What are you doing drinking in your car at 3 in the morning?” Derek countered, his leather jacket creaking as he shifted in the front seat. When Stiles didn’t reply, he reached up and flicked on the interior light.

“Turn that off.” Stiles snapped, turning away from Derek.

“What happened to your face?” Derek frowned as he caught sight of the livid bruise on Stiles’ cheek. He watched as Stiles’ cheeks flushed furiously, an angry silence descending on the car.

“Got drunk, fell down, hit my face on my desk.” Stiles muttered at last, absent mindedly running his fingers across the bruise. “My dad was _pissed_.” The bitterness in Stiles’ voice was clear and Derek could hear his heartbeat shift as he glared out of the window, chewing on a finger nail.

“How pissed?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Stiles replied, swallowing another burning mouthful of vodka.

“Stiles.” Derek’s voice was quiet, but it didn’t take a werewolf’s senses to pick up on the concern in his tone.

“He kicked me out, ok?” Stiles shouted, dropping his foot to the floor and slamming his hands against the back of the passenger seat. “But then I bet you already knew that, didn’t you.”

“I know you slept in your car last night.” Derek offered.

“Could you just go away or something.”

“So you can sleep in your car again? No. It’s not safe out here.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alpha pack, blah blah.” Stiles waved his hand around dismissively. “I’m aware of them. But it’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to go so I guess I’ll have to take my chances.”

“Stay at my place.”

“No offence, ‘cause I know I’m pretty hard up right now, but I think I’d rather take my chances in the woods than hang out in your creepy burnt out train carriage.”Stiles bent down to retrieve the bottle of vodka from the floor of the Jeep, keeping one hand on the back of the seat to steady himself.

”I’m not offering. I’m telling you.”

“Telling me what? That you’re taking me to your abandoned warehouse without my consent? Pretty sure that’s kidnap dude.” Stiles laughed to himself, apparently amused by his own comment. “I’m fine here. Leave me alone.”

“You’re lying.” Derek pointed out.

“Urgh. Fine. Whatever. Yes, I don’t want to spend another night trying to sleep here, but then I’m not sure I really want to come and hang out in your werewolf clubhouse either. Why are you even offering?”

“Because it’s not safe for you in the woods.” Derek watched Stiles intently as he waited for a response.

“Fine.” Stiles muttered after a brief pause. “Now move.” He gestured at Derek, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“No. You’re too drunk to drive.”

“I’m fine. Move over.”

“Stiles.” Derek’s eyes flashed red briefly as he sat resolutely in the driver’s seat.

“That’s not fair you know.” Stiles muttered, reluctantly handing over the keys as he clambered over back of the passenger seat. “You’re not _my_ alpha. You shouldn’t be allowed to growl at me.” He flopped down in the seat, both feet up on the dashboard and frowned at Derek. “What about your Camaro? You’re going to leave it in the woods?”

“I don’t have it right now.” Derek replied, turning the key in the ignition. “Scott and Isaac took it.”

“You let Scott drive your car? Have you seen the way he drives his own car? Why do they need your car anyway?”

“No. I let Isaac drive my car. Do you always ask so many questions?” Derek raised an eyebrow at Stiles.

“Yes. I’m not sure Isaac driving your car is much better than Scott driving it. Does Isaac even know how to drive? Where’d they go?” He fidgeted in his seat, leaning forward to pick at the sole of his sneaker.

“They’re looking for Boyd and Erica.”                                                                                          

“Huh.” Stiles commented, wincing as Derek sped down the unlit road, tree flashing by on either side of the car. “You could drive a bit more careful you know” He added as Derek ground the gears as he tried to accelerate. “Can you even drive stick?”

“It’s your heap of shit car that’s the problem, no me.” Derek growled, low and menacing. Stiles pouted briefly, leaning back in the seat once more and drumming his fingers against his knees. He shuffled further down in the seat and watched Derek through half closed eyes, feeling annoyed that he could apparently handle the Jeep with much more ease than Stiles himself.

“Why are you doing this?”  He asked, yawning hugely. Derek shot him a quizzical look before turning his attention back to the road, one hand on the wheel, his other arm resting against the window.

“I told you. The woods aren’t safe.”

**. o o o .**

“I can’t believe you talked me in to hanging out in your creepy ass warehouse.” Stiles complained as Derek sped down a narrow road, the jeep bumping over the potholed surface. “Would you _please_ be careful with my car! I bet you don’t drive your own car down here like this.”

Derek merely rolled his eyes, turning a corner sharply and slamming on the brakes. He smirked to himself as Stiles had to brace his hands against the dashboard to stop himself from falling off the seat.

“This isn’t your warehouse.” Stiles commented, stumbling slightly as he got out of the car. “Where are we?”

“My apartment.” Derek replied, walking away from Stiles and pulling a set of keys from his pocket.

“Since when do you have an apartment? Why do you make your little wolf pack hang out in a train if you’ve got an apartment?” He had to jog to catch up with Derek, trailing behind him up a flight of rickety wooden stairs.

“It was Laura’s.” Derek muttered as he unlocked the door. He ushered Stiles inside, closing and locking the door before turning on the light.

“It’s...uh...” Stiles began, looking around. The living room was small, with bare floorboards and two sagging couches. A dingy kitchenette took up one corner of the room and two doors, each with more than their fair share of peeling paint obviously lead to a bathroom and bedroom. There were no personal touches to be seen, Stiles noted, unless of course, you counted the bed sheet tacked up over the window.

“Don’t.” Derek snapped.

“I wasn’t going to say anything bad!” Stiles replied guiltily. “It just doesn’t look very lived in.”

“It’s somewhere to sleep.” Derek shrugged, leaning back against the kitchen counter. He watched as Stiles wrinkled his nose at one of the couches before flopping down on the other.

“Somewhere to keep your many leather jackets as well, right?” Stiles grinned as he bent over to dig around in his back pack. Derek huffed in response, pushing himself away from the counter and crossing to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of beer, hesitated for a moment and grabbed a second.

“You know, you could get in to trouble giving alcohol to minors.” Stiles grinned as Derek handed him one of the bottles.

“I’ve been in trouble for worse.” Derek replied, sitting down on the shabbier of the two couches and toeing off his boots. Stiles pulled a face as he twisted off the bottle cap, examining it briefly before pushing it into his pocket.

“Same here.” Stiles replied, a downcast expression on his face as he picked at the label on the bottle. He took a long swallow before speaking again. “I’ve never seen my dad as mad as he was the other day.”

“Because you’d been drinking?” Derek asked, stretching his legs out and resting them on the arm of the couch on which Stiles sat.

“Yeah. I can’t believe you wear stripy socks.” He grinned, tapping his bottle against Derek’s foot. “When I think Derek Hale, I don’t think blue and red stripy socks.”

“Don’t touch me. And don’t change the subject.”

“Urgh, fine. There isn’t much to say really though. I mean, I guess my dad must have realised I’ve been drinking; stuff going missing from the drinks cabinet is a big giveaway after all. It was more the being so drunk I passed out at 4 in the afternoon that was an issue. That and the weed he found when he searched my room.” Stiles sighed deeply, peeling strips of the label from his bottle and placing them carefully on the couch cushion beside him. “He kept asking why I’ve been drinking and smoking. What am I meant to say to him? ‘Sorry dad, all this werewolf drama is making me have panic attacks and making me worry that people are going get killed on a daily basis’. That’d go down real well.” He drained the last of his beer, picking up the remains of the label and poking them inside the empty bottle.

“When I couldn’t give him an explanation, he told me to get out of the house.” Stiles continued, slapping his beer bottle against his hand as he spoke. “Told me I was a disappointment and...and,” he looked away from Derek, staring at the sheet covered window. “And that he was glad my mom wasn’t here to see me like this.”

Derek frowned, taking swigs of beer as he tried to think of a way to respond.

“Can we talk about something else?” Stiles asked, breaking the silence. “I’ve done enough dwelling on all this over the last two days.”

Derek nodded, watching as Stiles got up from the couch, wandering into the kitchenette to place his empty bottle on the counter. He pulled open the fridge door to peer at the contents.

“Can I have another beer?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at Derek who nodded in response. He flopped back on the couch and watched Derek as he drank.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Can I stop you?” Derek replied, closing his eyes and resting his head on the back of the couch.

“Why do you have a fridge full of beer? I know you can’t get drunk.” Stiles began peeling back the edge of the label.

“I like the taste.” Derek finished the last of his drink and got to his feet. He crossed the room and pushed open the bedroom door, aware that Stiles was watching him intently as he did so. He stepped into the darkened bedroom, pulling a heavy fleece blanket from the tangle on the bed.

“Here.” He threw the blanket towards Stiles.

“You mind if I smoke in here?” Stiles asked as Derek turned away from him.

“Not really.” Derek shrugged, reaching out to close the bedroom door.

“Derek?”

“What?”

“Thanks.” Stiles mumbled, watching as Derek kicked the door closed behind him.

 

**. o o o .**

Derek jolted away, sitting bolt upright in the darkness. He scratched his chest and realised he’d fallen asleep in his clothes and pushed himself from the bed, shucking off his t-shirt and jeans. He sniffed the air as he pulled on a pair of dark grey sweat pants. The thick, heady scent of marijuana smoke filled the air. Derek smiled slightly; the smell reminded him of Laura, of a flea pit apartment in New York, of feeling scared but happy nevertheless. He turned to look at the door as an unusual noise caught his attention. Crossing the room, he rested on hand on the door knob as he listened; he could hear Stiles crying softly from the lounge. He scowled at the back of the door for a moment before turning away and crawling back into his bed, quickly falling into a deep, and thankfully dreamless sleep.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some mentions of drug use in this chapter. I know not everyone likes the idea of Stiles and Derek smoking up, but there's some random gif of Hoechlin smoking floating around on Tumblr, and my word, it's hot - I think that's what was going through my mind while I was writing this!

Stiles woke a several hours later to the sound of footsteps moving around the room. He cracked open one eye to see Derek moving around the small kitchen area, his back to Stiles. He closed his eye again and turned slightly, burying his face in the couch cushion.

“You talk in your sleep you know.” Derek commented.

“How’d you know I was awake?” Stiles muttered into the couch.

“Your breathing changed.” Derek padded across the room to sit down at the far end of the empty couch. Stiles opened his eye again, noting that he was still wearing the ridiculous pair of striped socks.

“Sorry if I woke you up by talking. Super hearing and all that.” Stiles rolled onto his back and shuffled up the couch to lean against the arm.

“Don’t worry about it.” Derek watched Stiles over a mug of coffee, suppressing a smile when he noticed the blush that spread over his cheeks. The truth was, ‘super hearing’ or not, Stiles’ sleep talk was incoherent gibberish and Derek hadn’t understood a word that he’d said.

“Well that’s embarrassing.” Stiles sighed, sitting up further and rubbing sleep from the corner of his eyes. “Thanks for letting me crash though, and you know, not tearing my throat out for waking you up.” He yawned widely and pulled a face at the sour taste in his mouth. “Where’d you put my car keys last night? I better get out of your way. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of wolfy business to attend to.”

“Where are you going to go tonight?”

“I literally have no idea.” Stiles replied morosely. He bent down and retrieved his phone from the floor beside the couch, avoiding Derek’s gaze. He unlocked it, a relieved grin on his face when he saw that Scott had finally responded to his numerous texts and voicemails. ‘ _Back soon. Will explain wen i see u. How did u no where we’d gone? S x._ ’

“Can you believe Scott?” He asked, waving his phone about. “Four days of texting and calling him and he brushes me off with a see you soon and how’d you know where we are?! He’s unbelievable sometimes.” He started typing a reply before Derek could speak, jabbing furiously at the screen; ‘ _from every1’s favourite alpha. Plz tell me ur back tonite, my dad kicked me out n i need somewhere to crash ( & someone 2 talk to). x_’.

He dropped his phone into his lap, chewing his fingernail and glaring at the bare floorboards. Derek paid him no attention as he continued to drink his coffee, staring at the wall with an absent minded look on his face. His phone buzzed a few minutes later and he snatched it up hurriedly; ‘ _sorry dude, wont be back til tomoro, r u ok? If u see derek tell him 2 turn his fone on. We found boyd n erica._ ´

“Scott says you need to turn your phone on.” Stiles looked up briefly from the reply he was composing before turning his attention back to his phone, watching out of the corner of his eye as Derek wandered away into the bedroom. He could hear Derek talking quietly on the phone as he tapped out a message to Scott; _’Ok-ish i guess. cud really do with talking 2 u tho. had to crash at derek’s last night – WEIRD. think ur mom will let me stay at urs when u get bk? just 4 a bit, til things get sorted with my dad. miss you dude. Hope ur ok. x._ ’

“Scott and Isaac will be back tomorrow.” Derek announced as he re-entered the room. “They’ve found Boyd and Erica.”

“I know. Scott text me already.” Stiles yawned, pushing the heavy blanket off his legs so he could sit upright on the couch. “Where were they?”

“Oregon.”

“Oregon? What were they doing there?”

“How should I know?”

Stiles rolled his eyes and grabbed his hoodie from the back of the couch, pulling it over his head as he got to his feet.

“Where’d you put my keys?” He crossed to the kitchen, scanning the counters.

“You can stay if you need to.” Derek replied, following Stiles into the kitchen and putting his empty mug in the sink. “Until Scott gets back.”

“Uh...thanks?” Stiles leant back against the counter, watching Derek warily. “You got any food?”

 **. o o o** **.**

Stiles sat on the floor, his back against the couch. He was thoroughly, irrevocably, bored. Derek had grumbled when he’d retreated into his ipod, volume turned up; complaining that the music was too loud and that Stiles had “no idea what good music was”. Apparently playing games on his phone was frowned upon as well and he now sat in angry silence, chewing on the drawstring of his hoodie.

“This is like being at my baba’s house.” Stiles grouched, spitting out the drawstring.

“Baba?” Derek smirked from the couch. He was crouched over a book that he refused to let Stiles see.

“Yeah, my baba. What’s wrong with that?”

“What’s a baba?”

“You know, my grandmom. Stop laughing. What do you call your grandmom?” Stiles snapped, realising immediately that this was not the best question to ask someone who had lost the majority of their family in a fire.

“I called her grandma.” Derek replied after a moment’s hesitation, looking up from his book briefly to glare at Stiles. “Can’t you sit still for five minutes?”

“No. In my hurry to be kicked the hell out of the house, I forgot my tablets. Makes sitting still and being quiet kinda difficult.” He scowled and hugged his knees to his chest. “I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass you know; it just seems to happen naturally.” He picked up his phone again, thinking he might text Scott again when his stomach rumbled loudly.

“You’re hungry again?” Derek muttered over the top of his book. “How? You ate all my bread.”

Stiles pulled a face. It had quickly become clear that sugar sandwiches were not high on Derek Hale’s list of acceptable things to eat. It was also apparent that eating all of Derek’s bread was not acceptable.

“I can’t help being hungry. Why do you only have bread and beer in your apartment?”

“If I go to and get food, will you shut up?” Derek asked, closing his book with a snap.

“Works for me.”

 **. o o o** **.**

Derek returns to find Stiles sat in exactly the same position as he left him, although he had clearly grown bored in his absence and now had his earphones in, obnoxious music blaring. Derek had been able to smell smoke from outside the apartment and wasn’t surprised to see that Stiles was smoking a joint, his head resting back on the couch.

“Here.” Derek thrust a McDonalds bag in Stiles’ face, barely able to contain his amusement when Stiles jumped. He reached down and plucked the joint from Stiles’ unresisting fingers, taking a deep drag before pinching it out.

“You’re not smoking that while I eat.”

“Do you get some kind of perverse satisfaction from sneaking up on me?” Stiles grumbled as he pulled open the brown paper bag in front of him, shoving several fries into his mouth as he unwrapped his burger. Derek ignored him, throwing the bunched up blanket onto the other couch and sitting down.  He could feel Stiles watching him as he pulled apart his cheeseburger.

“Don’t you want your pickle?” Stiles asked incredulously. Derek shook his head, holding out the offending slices to Stiles.

“You’re weird.” He grinned as he crunched down the pickles. “Pickles are the best bit of a burger. Well, after the actual burger and the cheese.” He grinned again, licking ketchup and mustard from his finger tips.

The rest of the meal was finished in what Stiles clearly considered to be relative silence. Derek, on the other hand, considered it to be a barrage of questions and personal accusations, going as far as to growl when Stiles expressed surprise at his choice of a chocolate milkshake.

“What,” He snapped, “Is wrong with me drinking a milkshake?”

“Nothing! I mean it’s not as weird as the fact that you put _mayonnaise_ on your fries, I’ll give you that. You just struck me as more of a root beer kind of guy. Chocolate milk is a little kids drink.”

“Shut up.” Derek frowned over the top of his cup, wondering if he’d be able to tolerate another night of Stiles in his apartment.  At least Scott and Isaac would be back the next day so he could get rid of him and get some well deserved peace, Stiles shot him a stupid grin, chewing on his straw as he drank.

“Can I smoke now?” He asked impatiently as Derek finished the last of his fries, crumpling the carton and throwing it back into the bag.

“I’ve known you and Scott for the best part of a year and I’ve never seen you smoke before.” Derek commented holding out his hand for Stiles’ trash. “Since when do you get high?”

“I dunno.” Stiles shrugged, an unusually serious look on his face. “I mean stuff’s been messed up for ages, but it got worse since that night with Gerard. Sleeping’s been kind of difficult.” He was engrossed in the task of inexpertly rolling another joint, his tongue poking from the corner of his mouth in concentration. 

Derek rolled his eyes as he watched Stiles trying to light a lighter that was clearly out of gas and dug in his pocket to retrieve his zippo which he unceremoniously threw into Stiles’ lap.

“Uh...thanks.” Stiles muttered, lighting his joint and inhaling happily.

“Yeah, well. Just make sure you share that.” Derek replied as. He stood up, disappearing into his bedroom and returning a minute later minus his jacket and sneakers. Stiles held the joint out to him as he sat back down on the couch.

“Can werewolves even get high?” Stiles asked with interest. Derek nodded in reply, holding the smoke in his lungs until he felt light headed.

“That’s weird. Like how does alcohol have no affect but weed does?” Stiles continued . “Do you get even more frowny and pouty when you’re high? I bet you’re one of those guys who just sits in the corner not talking? I mean not talking more than you usually don’t talk.”

“Talking too much again Stiles.” Derek warned as he exhaled.

“That was like two sentences. That’s not too much. Not for a normal person anyway. It’s just you that’s allergic to conversation.” He looked up at Derek and got a scowl in return. “I never pictured you as someone who smokes weed.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Derek replied as he passed the joint back to Stiles

“That’s quite the understatement.” Stiles laughed, flicking Derek’s zippo open and closed. “No one knows anything about you. Well, apart from the obvious that is.”

“What obvious?”

“You know; werewolf, scary, lurky.” Stiles gesticulated wildly, dropping ash on his jeans, continue to flick the lighter open and closed with his free hand. “Who’s _JH_?” He was peering down at the engraving on the lighter.

“Give that back.” Derek held out his hand, nodding at the lighter. Stiles pulled a face, flicking the lighter one more time before dropping it into Derek’s outstretched palm, only to be rewarded with another scowl.

“What does JH stand for?”

“It belonged to my brother.”

“Oh.” Stiles looked down at his knees, rubbing the falllen ash into his jeans. “I didn’t know...”

“If you say you didn’t know I had a brother, I’m going to break your arm.” Derek muttered darkly. Stiles pulled a face, biting back the urge to state that he didn’t actually know this.

“I don’t know why you always have to threaten me.” He commented in between drags on the joint. “We could probably be friends if you weren’t so intent on being captain anti-social. I mean I like getting high, you clearly don’t object to that, you drink beer, I drink beer. Hey, I even ate your pickles for you. Oh yeah, and then there’s all those times I saved your ass.”

“I said thank you for that.”

“Uh, no you didn’t actually, but that’s ok. “Stiles held up the joint to Derek. “You want some more of this.”

Derek spent the rest of the evening tuning out Stiles’ inane chatter, pleased that they at least had the dwindling supply of weed to focus on. He had to admit, later, once he had gone to bed and was free from the never ending font of questions that was Stiles, that the evening hadn’t been entirely horrible. Fending off Stiles’ comments and queries had been a bit frustrating, but sitting in Laura’s old apartment, smoking weed had left him feeling happier than he had in a long time, even if the company was somewhat lacking. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Why are they late?” Derek demanded, pacing backwards and forwards across a six foot stretch of tarmac, his arms folded across his chest.

“Maybe they stopped for food.” Stiles suggested. “And stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy.” He was sitting on the hood of his jeep, his feet resting on top of the tyre as they waited outside the warehouse for Scott and Isaac to return with Boyd and Erica.

“Why would they stop for food? They know they need to get back here.” Derek snapped, coming to a halt in front of Stiles and glaring.

“I don’t know! Just seems like something they might do, cause they’ve had a long drive. I’d stop for food if I was driving all the way back from Oregon.”

“Only because you never stop eating.”

Stiles snorted in response, lying back on the hood. He felt the jeep rock slightly as he flicked through the photos on his phone and lifted his head slightly to see Derek leaning against the car, glaring up the narrow road as though it had personally offended him.

“Thanks again for letting me stay.” Stiles said, nudging Derek with his knee.

“Don’t tell them about my apartment.” Derek replied, frowning at Stiles’ knee. “The less people that know, the better.”

“So none of them know you’ve got an apartment?  Not even Creepy Peter?”

“No. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“I don’t get it, but ok, my lips are sealed.” Stiles told him, shielding his eyes from the bright June sun and lapsing in to silence.

“What time is it?” Derek demanded.

“1:12pm. Can’t you just look at your own phone, or better yet, buy a watch?”

“They should be here.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and groped for his phone, unlocking it and speed dialling Scott.

“Where are you?” He asked when Scott answered. “Only Derek is going to do himself an injury sulking about your absence.”

“ _We’re on our way. Isaac got lost coming off the highway_ ”

“That sounds exactly like the sort of thing you would do, not Isaac.” Stiles laughed, sitting up and ignoring the angry look Derek was shooting him. “How long ‘til you’re back?”

“ _30 minutes, I guess? Did you say you’re with Derek? Can you put him on?_ ”

“He wants to speak to you.” Stiles sat up and held the phone out to Derek who snatched it from him, stalking away and resuming his pacing.

“How did he get lost? There are only two roads he can take from that exit.” Derek growled into the phone, frowning as he listened to Scott talk. “Where are you now?”

“It doesn’t take that long to get back from there.” Derek muttered, “Tell Isaac to hurry up.” He hung up the call, passing the phone back to Stiles.

“I’m not sulking.”

“Really? What would you call it then?” Stiles glanced up as he waited for Angry Birds to load. “Because it certainly looks like you’re sulking from here.”

“I just want to know that they’re ok.” Derek answered.

“Dude, they can heal themselves and fight off pretty much anyone who threatens them, I’m sure they’re just fine.”

“I know that. And that’s not what I meant. They ran away from the pack, that’s not ok.”

Stiles glanced over his shoulder at the warehouse. “Yeah, because who wouldn’t want to run away from the Derek Hale Train Depot for Troubled Teens.” He started to laugh, stopping abruptly at the sound of a low growl in Derek’s throat.

“That’s not funny.”

“Sorry.” Stiles drummed his fingers against the warm metal of the jeep. “See, I told you the other night you shouldn’t have let Isaac drive your car. Who gets lost driving in to the town they’ve lived in their whole life?”

Derek didn’t reply, leaning against the Jeep and watching the empty road again. Stiles contented himself with Angry Birds, muttering and swearing under his breath when one level proved to be particularly taxing.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked when Stiles swore loudly.

“It’s these stupid pigs...” Stiles began to explain, turning his phone around so Derek could see the screen.

“Shh.” Derek held up his hand, apparently listening to something that Stiles’ run of the mill human ears couldn’t hear. “That’s them.”

“How do you know?”

“I can hear the engine.”

“It could be another Camaro.” Stiles suggested, more to annoy Derek than because he thought this was the case.

“I know what my own car sounds like.”

Much to Stiles’ annoyance, the car rounding the corner did prove to be Derek’s Camaro, although it’s usually shiny paint was dulled by a thick layer of dust. Stiles bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at the outraged look on Derek’s face.

Stiles jumped down from the hood of the Jeep, bounding over to give Scott a hug as he clambered out of the Camaro.

“Keys.” Derek demanded, holding out his hand to Isaac. He watched impassively as Boyd and Erica exited the car.

“Derek, we’re sorry...” Erica began; Stiles was surprised by how tired she looked, thinking to himself that she looked more like her pre-bite self than the overtly sexual and quite frankly, terrifying, Erica he had grown become accustomed to recently.

“It’s fine.” Derek replied, wedging his hands deep in his pockets, radiating an air of not-fine-at-all. “You can explain yourselves later.” He turned away, walking purposefully towards the warehouse.

“You want a ride home?” Stiles asked Scott. “Or do you have to stay and deal with wolf matters?”

“I think it’s more of a Boyd and Erica thing right now. A ride home would be awesome.”

“Isaac? You want a ride?” Stiles offered; Isaac was standing awkwardly near Boyd and Erica, clearly unsure of where he should be going.

“I think I better stay. Derek’ll give me a ride back later.” He pulled a face and waved to Stiles and Scott as he walked away towards the warehouse with the others.

“It’d be wrong to draw a dick on the hood of Derek’s car, right?” Stiles grinned, looking longingly at the dusty Camaro.

“Yeah, do you want him to rip your throat out or something? You know he’s going to be able to smell you all over it. Anyway, didn’t he let you stay with him? Drawing a dick on his car is a weird way to say thank you.”

“You just have no sense of humour. You thought a drawing of a dick didn’t belong in a birthday card either.”

“That wasn’t funny! My mom saw that. She thinks you’ve got legitimate problems. Can we go? I’m really in need of a shower.” Scott crossed to the Jeep, pulling the door open and climbing in before Stiles could argue.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles lay face down on Scott’s bed, his hands beneath the pillows.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. This is serious, crucial, life altering information. Why wouldn’t you share it with me?”

“It isn’t life altering. Stop being dramatic. It was just a few texts.” Scott was unpacking his back pack, throwing filthy clothes into his laundry hamper.

“Yeah but it’s good she’s talking to you again, right? Even if it is just to tell you how much Washington sucks.”

“I guess. But why are we talking about Allison? What happened with your dad? And why did you stay with Derek? Why didn’t you just come and ask my mom if you could stay here?”

“I don’t know, it would have been weird without you here. And anyway, I didn’t know when you’d be back from your little werewolf road trip, or if your mom even knew about the aforementioned werewolf road trip.”  Stiles replied, rolling onto his back and throwing his phone up in the air. 

“She thought we’d gone to visit Isaac’s granddad. Which we sort of did, but he’s dead so it was more like we went to the cemetery on the way back into town.” Scott replied as Stiles fumbled his catch, his phone narrowly missing his face as it landed on the bedspread.

“Not that I want you to leave or anything, but how long do you think it’ll be before your dad lets you come home?”

“Probably not until he forgets about the drinking and the weed and everything, I guess.” Stiles sighed, tracing the patterns on Scott’s bedspread with his finger tip.

“Have you talked to him since he...since you left?”

“No.”

“Don’t you think you should?”

“No.”

“Stop being difficult, you know I’m right.”

“No.”

“And stop saying no, you sound like Derek.”  Scott grinned and threw the cushion at Stiles. “Just talk to him, yeah?”

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Oh yeah Dad, the reason I’ve been drinking and getting high is because it’s kind of hard to deal with the fact that half the people I know are werewolves and as a result my life has taken a serious turn for the crazy?’ I’m not sure how well that would go down.”

“You still need to talk to him. You know my mom’ll want you to as well.”

“Ok, fine. I’ll talk to him. Can we just talk about something else now? I’m fed up with feeling crappy about this.”

“If that’s what you want.” Scott shrugged, although his expression suggested that he thought they should still be talking about Stiles’ situation.

“Wanna play Gears?” Stiles grinned, gesturing to Scott’s Xbox, feeling more normal than he had in a week. “I mean I know you’ve got your super-duper wolf reflexes now, but you have to admit, I show you up every time. You could really do with the practice.”

**. o o o** **.**

Stiles woke late the next morning, wandering in to the kitchen to look for Scott, only to find Melissa McCall seated at the table instead.

“Hi Stiles.”

“Uh...hi.” He hovered uncomfortably in the doorway, wondering how he could excuse himself back to Scott’s bedroom without seeming rude.

“Scott’s at the store, replacing all the milk he drank in the night.” Melissa smiled. “Sit down.” She added, pushing a chair out from the table with her foot.

“It’s ok, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your breakfast or make you late for work or anything.”

“I’ve got plenty of time before I need to leave. Sit.” She gestured to the empty chair.

Stiles shuffled slowly towards the chair, feeling as though he was about to face a firing squad.

“So where were you staying the last three nights?” Melissa asked. “Don’t look so surprised. Your dad called me about twenty minutes after you left the house. He thought you’d come straight here. Didn’t you tell him Scott was out of town?”

“I didn’t know they’d gone out of town.” Stiles muttered, his elbows on the table, chin resting on one hand

“So who were you staying with?”

“A friend.”

“A friend? No name?”

“Nope.” Stiles stared past Melissa at the fridge, scanning the large collection of magnets that covered it, wondering why anyone would want a magnet in the shape of a lobster.

“Your dad told me what happened. This isn’t like you, Stiles. And you know I’m happy for you to stay for a little while, but I really want for you to talk to your dad and get all this straightened out.”

“What am I supposed to say to him though? He doesn’t know about Scott, about all the crazy stuff that’s been going on.” Stiles sighed, biting his lip nervously when he saw Melissa’s expression. He knew that she was finally in on Scott’s big secret but it was clear she still hadn’t quite come to terms with the reality of her son being a werewolf.

“I can’t answer that, Stiles. But you need to speak to him.” Melissa leant back in her chair, sipping her coffee and watching Stiles. “One other thing; I won’t have any drugs in the house.”

“I haven’t got anything.”

“Hand it over Stiles.” Melissa held her hand out, frowning at him over her mug. Stiles sighed hugely, digging in his pocket and extracting a small plastic bag, a pouch of tobacco and a half empty packet of rolling papers and pushed them across the table top. Melissa smiled at him, reaching out and taking the offending items. “Thank you.”

“So, I’ve got to go to work now,” She told him, getting to her feet and setting her coffee mug by the sink, “but maybe you could come with Scott and me later to shop for Isaac’s room.”

“Isaac’s room?” Stiles frowned.

“Didn’t Scott tell you? I’m going to be fostering Isaac while he applies for his emancipation.” Melissa smiled. “He’ll be moving in next week.”

“I guess he forgot to mention it.” Stiles replied, feeling a little numb. He watched idly as Melissa got ready for work, dashing around the kitchen looking for her keys, leaving the house and coming back in when she realised she’s forgotten her lunch.

“Be good!” She called as she left the house for the second time, the door slamming behind her. Stiles wandered through to the lounge, sitting down in the recliner to wait for Scott to return to explain himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles was leaning against the steering wheel of his Jeep when his phone began to buzz in his pocket.

“If you’re calling to say sorry....”

“ _Why are you parked outside my apartment?_ ” Derek interrupted; Stiles pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at it in surprise. He’d assumed it had been Scott calling to apologise and had answered automatically, not bothering to glance at the screen.

“How did you know?” He asked guiltily.

“ _I heard you pull up. What do you want_?”                       

“Why are you talking to me on the phone when you could just let me in?” His phone beeped as Derek hung up the call; pulling open the apartment door a few seconds later, gesturing for Stiles to come in.

“Why are you here?” He demanded as Stiles entered.

“Did you know about Isaac?” Stiles asked, walking past Derek to sit down on one of the couches.

“What about him?” Derek sighed as he closed the door.

“That he’s moving in with Scott.”

“Yes.”

“Why does everyone know but me? Why do you all have to keep me in the dark all the time? I know I’m not part of your super awesome wolf club, but it’d be nice to at least be told some stuff!” Stiles shouted, getting to his feet and turning to face Derek.

“Be quiet.” Derek snapped, one hand on Stiles’ shoulder as he pushed him back down onto the couch. “Not everything is about you.”

“That’s not what I said! I’m not asking for all the intimate details of your wolfy meetings; I’d just like to be kept in the loop about the major stuff. And Isaac moving in with Scott is pretty major.”

“You realise you should be talking to Scott about this, not me, don’t you.” Derek sat down at the far end of the couch and rubbed his eyes.

“Why should I? Isaac’s your problem. Why can’t he live here with you? Or stay where he is now or something?”

“Because it’s not safe for him to be in the group home; what if he shifts while he’s there?”

“So what if he does? I just don’t see why he has to stay with Scott.”

“Stop being childish. It’s not just about the shifting anyway. He shouldn’t have to stay in a group home if there is someone else that will take care of him.”

“Why? What’s so bad about a group home? They’re designed especially for people like Isaac.”

“Because no one should have to live in one of those places.”

“Why are you so bothered where Isaac lives?” Stiles kicked off his sneakers, earning himself a disapproving look, and twisted on the couch so he could face Derek, who shifted uncomfortably. Stiles watched him as he worried at a small hole in the arm of the couch, digging his nail into the fabric. 

“Because I know what it’s like in there.” Derek muttered at last.

“You lived in a group home?”

“Yes. After the fire.” Derek pulled hard on a thread, snapping it before repeating the motion, enlarging the hole in the upholstery.

“How long were you there for?” Stiles’ curiosity was piqued and he turned around properly to look at Derek, his feet up on the couch.

“Only a few weeks. Laura got me out of there. I couldn’t control when I shifted after everything that happened. It was too dangerous for me to be in there.”

“How come your sister wasn’t in there with you?”

“She was already 18.” Derek continued picking at the couch arm. “She came for me one night when everyone was asleep.”

“You mean you ran away?” Stiles asked. Derek looked up at him briefly and nodded.

“We went to Boston. Laura...she thought we wouldn’t be noticed in a busy city. And we weren’t for a bit.”

“What happened?” Stiles prompted. Derek frowned at him and went quiet again.

“We weren’t welcome. Territory and stuff. That’s what we were doing before Laura came back here. Moving from place to place trying to avoid other packs and hunters.”

“Is that why this place is so empty?” Stiles enquired gently. “In case you need to run again?” Derek nodded, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“So where were you before you came back to Beacon Hills?”

“New York.”

“Jackson and Lydia are in New York.” Stiles blurted out, unable to stop himself. He wondered if Derek would be offended that he changed the subject.

“I know,” Derek replied; his tone making it clear that he considered this to be a Bad Idea. “Why would he go away for a whole month?”

“Because it’s summer vacation and that’s what people do? Go away somewhere better than here. Anyway, Jackson in New York means a Jackson-less Beacon Hills. I’ll happily take that, even if it is just for another two weeks.”

“And what happens during the full moon?” Derek asked. “You think Lydia or her grandparents are going to be able to deal with that?”

“Dude, you’ve said yourself that Jackson is more in control than any of the others. He’ll be fine.” He pulled a face and sighed. “And there’s no way he’d hurt Lydia. They’re soul mates or some crap like that.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t change at the full moon. What makes you so sure that Jackson will?”

“Why are you here Stiles?” Derek snapped, changing the subject again.

“Can I stay on your couch again?”

“Why can’t you just go back to Scott’s house? Tell him you’re sorry for behaving like an ass.”

“Why would you assume I was an ass?”

“Because I know you.”

“Please Derek. It’s only for one night, I promise. I can’t go back to Scott’s just yet. He was pretty mad at me.”

“Fine. One night. And if you eat all my bread again, you’re back in the Jeep, I don’t care what time it is or who might be prowling around to rip your throat out.”

“Your bread is safe from me.” Stiles grinned, holding his hands up. “I’ll even spring for pizza as a thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, so bad at writing notes etc! Thanks for the comments and kudos, they make me happyhappy!

Derek had brusquely shooed Stiles from his apartment early the next morning, making it clear that crashing-at-Derek’s was no longer an option in the process. Stiles had driven around aimlessly for a few hours, passing Scott’s house several times. He’d gone as far as to pull into Scott’s driveway before remembering why he was mad at Scott and driving away again. Watching his supply of gas dwindle as he drove past the high school for the fourth time that day, he sighed to himself, realising that it was probably time to swallow his pride and go home.

Pulling up on the sidewalk, blocking the driveway in the process, he frowned at his dad’s truck parked outside the house. He was surprised to see it there at all; Thursdays were his dad’s admin days, when he caught up on paperwork and Stiles couldn’t remember the last time he’d missed on. He mentally steeled himself, walking from the Jeep to the front porch as though he were going to face a firing squad. He reached for the door handle, hesitating for a few seconds before grasping it and pushing the front door open.

“Dad?” He called, closing the door and leaning on it.

“In the den.” Stiles pulled a face; his dad sounded exhausted. He trailed through the lounge and into the den, feeling at thought someone had punched him when he saw his dad slumped in one of the armchairs, staring aimlessly at the wall. He looked as though he hadn’t slept for several days.

“Sit down, son.” He gestured towards the battered leather couch. Stiles sat down nervously, pulling his hands up inside the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Dad, I...”

“Before you say anything, let me make one thing very clear. No lying. I want the truth about what’s being going on. I don’t care how much you think it might hurt me or shock me, I want you to be honest with me.”

“OK.”

“Where did you stay when you weren’t at Scott’s?”

“With a friend.”

“Which friend?”

“Dad...”

“Which friend, Stiles.”

“Derek.” Stiles mumbled, looking down at his sneakers.

“Hale?”

“I don’t know any others.”

“You’re friends with Derek Hale now?”

“Not friends, not really.”

“But friends enough that you stayed with him? He’s what, six or seven years old than you Stiles; why is he spending time with a 16 year old? I’m not even taking into account the very serious accusations you and Scott have made about him in the past, although that’s incredibly concerning in itself.”

“He was just doing me a favour.” Stiles mumbled, putting his feet up on the couch and hugging his knees against his chest.

“And what other favours has he been doing for you?” The sheriff asked, getting to his feet and crossing to the window. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well you haven’t been buying alcohol yourself, have you? I’m assuming you’ve got someone older buying it for you. Someone who doesn’t particularly care that you’re a minor, and the sheriff’s son.” He looked over his shoulder at Stiles for a moment before turning his attention back to the window.

“I took some from your liquor cabinet.” Stiles admitted, resting his chin on his knees. “And a guy from school got some for me. Derek had nothing to do with that.”

“Which ‘guy from school’?”

“Danny.”

“And why did you want the alcohol in the first place?”

“I just....Dad, can we talk about this another time? I’m sorry I got drunk. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Stiles asked, dropping his feet to the floor and covering his face with his hands.

“You’re right, it won’t happen again. But we need to talk about this now. This isn’t like you and I want to know why, what’s made you feel like you need to be drinking in the first place.” The sheriff turned around, leaning against the window sill, arms folded across his chest as he watched Stiles.

“It’s everything, Dad!” Stiles cried, throwing his hands up. “It’s watching that mechanic die, it’s everything that happened at the station that night with Matt, watching him hurt you and threaten Scott. Everything’s gotten so messed up recently and I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with it all!” He buried his face in his hands again, hot, angry tears running down his cheeks. “I just wanted to forget about it and not have nightmares anymore.”

“You could have talked to me.” He crossed the room to sit on the coffee table in front of Stiles, reaching forward to rest his hand on Stiles’ shoulder.

“You had too much other stuff to worry about.” Stiles whispered, looking away from his dad. “I didn’t want to bother you when there was more important stuff going on.”

“Stiles, nothing is more important to me than you. You could have talked to me anytime.”

Stiles didn’t reply, looking away from his father and scrubbing roughly at his cheeks, hoodie sleeves pulled down over his hands.

“You told me you were glad mom didn’t see me like this.” He mumbled accusingly, fresh tears springing to his eyes. He heard his dad sigh deeply, moving from the coffee table to the couch, wrapping one arm around his shoulder and pulling him close.

“That was a cruel thing for me to say and I’m sorry.” He squeezed Stiles’ shoulders tightly, awkwardly planting a kiss on his head. “You just scared me so much, seeing you in that state.”

“Sorry.” Stiles muttered, wiping tears from his cheeks again. They sat like this for some time; Stiles alternating between crying and sitting silently while his dad held him. After nearly an hour, he gently pushed his dad away, sitting upright and scrubbing at his face.

“I want you to start seeing Dr. Monkton again.” His dad told him, stretching as he got to his feet.

“Dad, no!” Stiles complained, looking outraged. “He’ll make me back on Zoloft again.” 

“Stiles, this isn’t up for discussion. I’m making you an appointment in the morning.”

“But I spoke to the guidance counsellor at school! I don’t need to go back into therapy.” He uttered the last word as though it tasted bad.

“Please son, I’m not asking much of you. I just want to make sure you’re ok and if you’re not going to talk to me, then you need to talk to Dr. Monkton.”

“Fine. But I’m not going on medication again.” Stiles replied, standing up and making to leave the room. His dad nodded, following him from the room.

“One last thing.” He said. Stiles paused at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the banister. “I want your phone and your laptop.”

“What? No! I need them!”

“No you don’t. What you need is time at home for a bit, without distractions.” He held his hand out expectantly. Stiles quickly pulled up his inbox on his phone, deleting his messages before handing it over.

“I’m grounded? Seriously? You haven’t grounded me in like three years.”

“I’m aware of that. It’s not forever, just until I know I can trust you again.” He clapped Stiles on the back before walking away towards the kitchen. “Dinner’s at six, don’t fall asleep.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

Stiles sat on his bed, leaning back against the headboard, absently mindedly clicking the cap of his bottle of adderall open and closed as he stared at his blank TV screen. He heard his window begin to open and rolled his eyes.

“Of course you’re climbing in my bedroom window. What a completely normal thing to do.” He continued clicking the bottle cap as Derek moved into his field of vision.

“Scott said you weren’t answering any of his texts or calls.”

“My dad took my phone. Just one quick question; if Scott’s the one that’s been trying to text and phone me, why are _you_ climbing in my window?”

Derek shrugged, pulling out Stiles’ desk chair and sitting down. “I don’t know. I just know I got asked to come and make sure you were ok.”

“Since when do you do Scott favours?” Stiles asked suspiciously, bottle cap still clicking.

“You don’t need to...Could you stop that.” Derek leant forward, grabbing the orange pill bottle from Stiles and throwing it onto the desk. “Why are you being so hostile?”

“I’m not being hostile; I’m just a bit confused by the fact that _you’re_ here being concerned about me on Scott’s behalf. Look dude, I just want to get some sleep and feel sorry for myself in peace, could you go away now please.”

“Fine.” Derek got up, glaring at Stiles as he crossed to the window.

“My dad’s making me go back into therapy.” Stiles muttered as Derek pushed the window open. He closed his eyes, leaning back on the headboard again and heard the window slide shut, unsure why he’d blurted out about therapy. He was just about the slide down the bed so he could take a nap when he felt the mattress dip and opened his eyes again to see Derek sitting by his feet, watching him with interest.

“You were in therapy?”

“And here was me thinking you left.” Stiles complained, sitting up and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yes, for like four years.”

“How come?”

“Because I couldn’t cope when my mom died.” Stiles yawned.

“Oh.” Derek frowned; he’d been expecting to be told to mind his own business, or to receive a sarcastic reply, not this tired honesty.

“My dad couldn’t really manage either,” Stiles continued, looking down at his pyjama pants as thought Derek wasn’t really there. “I ended up living with Scott and his parents for like a month ‘cause he didn’t know how to cope with me. Scott’s dad was still at home then.” He chewed on his fingernails for a moment. “I thought at first that it was my fault my mom had died, ‘cause why else would my dad have sent me away. Scott’s mom was great with me, but his dad got fed up of me being there. I’m still not really sure if I came home because my dad was ready for me to come back or because Scott’s dad didn’t want me there anymore.”

“Is that when you started going to therapy?” Derek asked softly, surprising both himself and Stiles.

“No, that didn’t start ‘til I was in fourth grade.” He leant over, grabbing a pen from his bedside table and chewing on it. “I kept acting out in school and getting sent to the principal’s office all the time. My teachers were all like ‘oh, it’s his ADHD’, but really I just wanted them to call up my dad to come get me so I could make sure he was ok. I guess I thought for a while that he was going to....to die as well.” He took a deep breath, running his hand over his close cropped hair and taking a deep breath, trying to stop the tears he could feel prickling his eyes.

“I know what that feels like.” Derek replied quietly. “When me and Laura first went to Boston, I used to spend the whole time she was out of the apartment thinking she wouldn’t come back.” He fell silent, staring down at the rug for some time.

Stiles chewed on his pen, thinking to himself how strange it was to have Derek Hale sitting on his bed, sharing this information with him, or if he really thought about it, how weird it was that Derek was talking about something other than how annoying he found Stiles, or telling him he needed to stay out of the woods.

“Don’t....don’t tell anyone what I’ve told you.” Derek looked up at him suddenly.

“You think that’s the sort of person I am?” Stiles asked, sounding hurt. “I don’t talk about people behind their backs, especially not stuff like this. I haven’t told anyone about your super secret apartment, have I.”

“Sorry.” Derek muttered, “It’s just...I’ve never really talked to anyone about this stuff. Not properly anyway. A social worker tried to talk to me about it right after the fire but that’s different.”

“Different how?”

“Because it was her job to ask that stuff. I doubt she actually cared.”

Stiles went quiet, chewing on the pen in his hand and watching Derek with interest. This was obviously too much for the werewolf, who shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms across his chest protectively.

“I should go.” He muttered, getting to his feet and running a hand through his hair. “Sorry for offloading on you.”

“Dude, you’re allowed to offload on people.” Stiles told him, scrambling off the bed and blocking his path to the window. Derek merely snorted in response, grabbing hold of Stiles’ upper arm and moving to push him out of the way.

“I mean it.” Stiles pushed Derek’s hand off him. “If you do ever want to talk about stuff, you can do. I mean, I know I don’t know exactly what you went through, but I know what it’s like when things are shitty and I know talking to someone helps me.”  Derek looked anxiously over his shoulder at the window; Stiles sighed dejectedly before stepping forward, into Derek’s personal space.

“What are...” Derek was cut off as Stiles pulled him into an awkward one armed hug. He tensed up, pushing Stiles roughly off him with more force than was strictly required.

“Don’t do that again.” He hissed, pointing at Stiles. “Just don’t.” He turned away, throwing the window open before disappearing into the dusk, leaving Stiles sitting on his bed feeling annoyed and vaguely confused.

 


	8. Chapter 8

“You better be dressed.” Stiles rolled his eyes as his dad opened his bedroom door without knocking and turned his attention back to the book he was reading.

“What’s the point of getting dressed if you won’t let me go anywhere?” He asked, not looking at his dad.

“Wearing your pyjamas all day and sulking in your room isn’t exactly demonstrating your maturity.” His dad told him. Stiles shrugged, pointedly turning the page of his book, only to have it pulled suddenly from his grasp. “Goosebumps?” His dad asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you’re a little old for this?”

“You’re the one treating me like a kid.” Stiles pouted, moving from his desk chair to his bed. “Did you want something?”

“Yes, as it happens. Melissa called and invited us to dinner. Something about a welcome home dinner for Isaac. We’re expected for six thirty, so hurry up and get dressed.” 

Stiles groaned loudly, grabbing one of his pillows and holding it over his face until his dad left the room.

**. o o o .**

The meal didn’t go as badly as Stiles had expected, although it had been slightly weird listening to Isaac nervously blush and call his dad “sir” every time the sheriff asked him a question. Much to his amazement, his dad agreed that he could stay over at Scott’s when they were done eating.

“So I’m not grounded anymore?” He grinned, kneeling up on the couch and watching his dad pull on his jacket in the hall way.

“No, you’re still grounded, but I’ve got to go in to work tonight and I don’t trust you in the house alone just yet.”

“Oh.”  Stiles sat back on the couch, just catching the smirk Isaac and Scott shared. He folded his arms across his chest and sunk lower into the couch cushions, scowling at the TV.

“Thanks for this, Melissa.” His dad’s voice floated through from the hall way. “Give me a call on my cell if there are any problems.”

Stiles made a noise of disgust, loud enough for his dad to hear, narrowing his eyes at Scott, who was trying to disguise a laugh as a cough.

**. o o o .**

 “I still can’t believe you’re grounded. Who gets grounded these days?” Scott laughed, leaning back against the foot of the bed. He and Isaac were playing on the Xbox, both seated on the floor. Stiles lay on his front on the bed, his chin resting on his folded arms as he watched with mild disinterest.

“I can’t believe you’re getting your ass handed to you so badly by Isaac.” Stiles replied, lightly cuffing the back of Scott’s head. “It’s embarrassing really, even for me.”

Scott growled, glancing back at Stiles, his eyes flashing amber.

“Don’t you wolf at me.” Stiles laughed, reaching down and snatching the control pad from Scott, turning the console off before Scott could grab it back. “Dude, you suck and this is getting boring.” He held the pad out of Scott’s reach. “Come on, I’ve been stuck in the house all week. Don’t make me watch you play games all night; all I’ve done the last four days is play on my own damn Xbox – with no live – I might add, lest I talk to other humans; talk to meeeeeee!”

“Talk to you about what?” Scott asked. “Oh! There were these really cute kittens that came in to the clinic the other day. Wanna see pictures?” He reached for his phone, holding it up to Stiles.

“I’m good, thanks.” Stiles pushed Scott’s phone away from his face, watching as Isaac got to his feet, looking uncomfortable.

“I’ll...uh...” He pointed towards the door. “You guys obviously need to catch up and stuff. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“Please stay.” Stiles begged, kneeling up on the bed and clasping his hands together as though he was praying. “Otherwise Scott’ll just keep trying to show me pictures of kittens! I’m going to have to rely on you for exciting wolf tales from now on!” He grinned widely at Isaac, who hovered nervously by the door, clearly trying to decide whether he was joking or not.

“If you’re sure...” Isaac sat down at the end of the bed.

“You know, if you’re going to be hanging out with Scott all the time and making this a three way, you need to get us up to speed on all things Lahey.”

“Is he being serious?” Isaac looked at Scott for reassurance.

“Probably, yes.” Scott replied, settling himself in his armchair, putting his feet up on the bed. Stiles smiled at Isaac again.

“Do I get to ask questions too?” Isaac frowned.

“Sure! So, uhh....what’s your favourite colour?”

“Seriously?” Isaac rolled his eyes as Stiles nodded enthusiastically. “Uh, green, I guess?”

“Favourite...erm...pizza topping.”

“Mushrooms and bacon.”

“That’s kinda weird, but ok. What’s your favourite...”

“Are you seriously going to sit here asking me what my favourite things are all night?” Isaac asked.

“Yes! I know all Scott’s favourite stuff, like how his favourite colour is yellow...”

“Blue.” Scott corrected, not looking up from his phone.

“Whatever. And his favourite pizza topping is pepperoni and jalapeños....”

“Bell peppers.”

“Stop changing things!” Stiles wailed, turning to look at Scott. “I’m trying to make a point here!”

“You are?”

“Yes! Come on Isaac, just play along.”

“Fine. But I’m asking you stuff as well.”

“Whatever! Favourite band.”

“Coldplay.”

“Eww, why? What about...”

“I thought I got to ask questions too?” Isaac raised an eyebrow. Stiles glanced at Scott, who shrugged, dropping his phone into his lap and watching expectantly. Stiles nodded for Isaac to go on. “Ok...what’s your favourite movie.”

“Avengers. Well, it is this week at least.” Stiles grinned, looking over at Scott again.

“Yeah, he’s got some Robert Downey Jr thing.” Scott laughed, ducking as Stiles threw a pillow at him.

“I think he’s a good actor, that’s all. Scott’s favourite movie is Finding Nemo you know.”

“What?! No it isn’t! It’s Watchmen and you know that. Anyway, you were the one that cried when we watched Finding Nemo.”

“Dude, I was like eight years old. It’s not unreasonable for an eight year old to cry at a movie about a lost fish with a dead mom fish.” Stiles paused briefly, his gaze flicking up to the ceiling as he tried not to think about his mom taking him and Scott to watch Finding Nemo right before she found out she was ill.

“You cried at Up too.” Scott pointed out, jolting Stiles out of his reverie. “When you were 13.”

“You sort of remind me of that fish from Nemo.” Isaac muttered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check his messages. “You know, the one that gets distracted all the time and never shuts up.”

“He’s totally right!” Scott laughed. “Like that bit where Dory tries to be friends with the sharks. That’s kinda like you with werewolves!”

“So I’m friend not food? Remind Derek of that next time he threatens to maim me.” Stiles pouted, lying down across the bed. “And everyone cries at Up. Oh, oh, I’ve got a good question! Who’s on your list?”

“My list?” Isaac asked, looking confused.

“Yeah, you know, your list of celebrities you’re allowed to sleep with.”

“People actually make lists?” Isaac cocked an eyebrow again.

“Of course they do. Don’t tell me that you don’t have a list.” Stiles asked, outraged. “You need to have a list man.”

“You need a life, or a girlfriend or something.” Isaac replied. “Whose on your ‘list’ then?”

“Emma Stone. Hayley Williams. Johnny Depp. Jennifer Lawrence. Kat Dennings.“ Stiles counted off on his fingers.

“Um...Johnny Depp?”

“Yup.”

“But he’s...he’s a he.”

“Don’t ask him to explain.” Scott teased. “Not unless you want to hear him talk about Pirates of the Caribbean for hours.”

“Yeah, I’ll go on and on about it forever if you let me.” Stiles grinned. “So come on Isaac, who would you put on a list if you had to?”

**. o o o .**

 “Were you trying to shock Isaac before?” Scott asked later that night when they were alone.

“Dude, you know Johnny Depp is on my list. I’m not going to pretend he’s not just ‘cause Isaac assumes I’m only into girls.” He rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. “Why does everyone assume I’m only into girls anyway?”

“Because you did nothing but talk about Lydia for the last ten years?”

“You make a valid point, but still. I don’t go around assuming everyone is straight.” He shuffled further down under the comforter. “Do you think Isaac thinks it’s weird that I sleep in your bed when I stay over?”

“Probably, but probably more because he thinks you’re weird than anything else.” Scott teased, lifting his head and punching his pillow a few times. Stiles pulled a face in the darkness, scowling at the light fitting.

“I’m not weird.”

“If you say so.” Scott rolled onto his side, propping himself up his elbow and watching looking at Stiles. “So...uh...would you ever, you know, with a guy? Or do you just like checking guys out?”

“Well considering that unlike you, I’m a freaking Virgin with a capital V, I’d pretty much ‘you know’ with anyone who offered.”

“Yeah but would you rather do it with a girl or a guy?”

“I don’t know! It’s not as if I’m in any position to be choosy!” He ran his hand over his face. “Why are you asking all these questions all of a sudden? It’s not like you didn’t know.”

“Yeah but we’ve never really talked about it.”

Stiles snorted; he could recall vividly the time he and Scott had snuck their first beers out of the fridge at 14. Melissa had left them in the house alone overnight, called in to work on some emergency. Halfway through Pirates of the Caribbean, he’d admitted to Scott that he thought Johnny Depp was ‘crazy hot’ – he cringed at the memory now, realising how dumb fourteen year old him had sounded. To his credit, Scott hadn’t freaked out like Stiles had expected, just nodded and made some comment about preferring Keira Knightley. Evidently Scott had been stockpiling questions ever since.

“ _Is Isaac still awake?_ ” He whispered, leaning closer to Scott. In the orange light from the streetlight outside he saw Scott listen intently for a moment before shaking his head, a confused look on his face.

“Thought you didn’t care what people think of you.” Scott said quietly. “So what if Isaac hears you?”

“That’s different. I don’t know him like you do and there’s some stuff I don’t want him knowing about me.”

“So is it just a Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr thing then?” Scott asked, laying back down on the pillow and watching him. “Or are there real guys that you like?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Johnny Depp is a real person.”

“You know what I mean, people in real life, like at school.”

“I haven’t really thought about it all that much.” Stiles admitted, drumming his fingers on his stomach. “There’s a guy in the grade above us that I think is kinda hot. But he seems like a bit of a douche.”

“Maybe that’s your type. You know, like how Lydia can be crazy mean and scary. Maybe you like scary guys.”

“Lydia isn’t crazy mean. And anyway, I’m over Lydia now. So over her. So over her and stupid Jackson and his stupid werewolf face. Over it!”

“Yeah, really sounds like it.” Scott grinned, punching him in the arm. “What about Jackson? Is he douchey enough for you?”

“Too douchey.”

“How about Danny?”

“Are you just going to keep naming guys we know and asking if I want to have sex with them? I don’t ask you if you want to sleep with all the girls we know.”

“I only want Allison.”

“Adorable. Are you done with the questions now?”

“Ooh, ooh, I’ve got it! What about Derek? You seem to spend more time trying to save his life than you do mine!” Scott grinned mischievously and clapped him on the shoulder.

“OK, Derek is pretty hot, I’ll give you that.”

“I think I feel kinda sick now.” Scott complained. “Derek isn’t hot. He’s Derek.”

“Yeah, he can be a bit of a tool, but you must admit the guy is attractive.”

“Whatever you say. So what is it that does it for you? The threats to kill you? The living in hobo land? The permanent scowl?”

“Shut up. Seriously? You can’t think objectively and see that he’s hot?”

“No! So would you, you know, with him if he asked?”

“No! For a start, he’s like king of emotional baggage and trust issues and I’m pretty sure he’s not into dudes.”

“Maybe you should ask him.” Scott laughed, rolling onto his back, his arm behind his head.

“Yeah, because that’d be a great way to pay him back for letting me crash at his place the other week. I’m pretty sure people don’t think me liking them is a good thing. He’d probably just threaten to rip my throat out again.”

“You just said you like him. I thought you just thought he was hot?”

“Shut up. I don’t _like_ him, I was just making a point. I’d be really grateful if we could just stop talking about this now before I say something really stupid. I’d like to be able to at least look him in the face next time I see him.”

“Yeah, I bet you want to look at him.” Scott sniggered at his remark, evidently very amused with himself, before turning away from Stiles. “Night dude.”

“If you say anything, to anyone, and I’m totally including your new bro Isaac in that, I will straight up kill you.” 

“If you say so.” Scott muttered, making a noise of complaint as Stiles rolled over, tugging the comforter away from him. “Just promise me you’ll try not to have any Derek related dreams tonight. I don’t want to wake up to you humping my leg or something.”

“Straight up kill you, McCall.” Stiles repeated, kicking Scott under the covers before burying his face in the pillow as he tried to force himself to fall asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Stiles wandered in to the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator and staring blankly at the contents. He heard the front door open and close, heard his dad’s keys hitting the table in the hall way.

“You had lunch yet?” His dad asked as he stepped into the kitchen. Stiles shook his head, grabbing a can of Monster and closing the fridge door.

“Not really hungry.” He muttered between sips.

“So you ate breakfast this morning?”

“I had a can of this and some skittles.” Stiles replied, sitting down at the breakfast bar and pulling the ring pull off his can. He began tapping it against the surface of the breakfast bar, looking down at the can as he felt his dad watching him.

“Well how about I fix you a sandwich then and we can talk about the terms of your punishment and the importance of a balanced meal.”

Stiles perked up; it had been two weeks since the embarrassing grounding incident and he was itching to get out of the house, even if it did mean choking down an unwanted sandwich.

“I want it all eating.” His dad passed him a turkey sandwich and leant on the breakfast bar, watching him. Stiles frowned at the sandwich, pulling off a corner and shoving it in his mouth; it had been a while since skipping meals had been an issue. Or, he corrected himself, there was so much else going on that his dad had let the not eating often enough thing slide.

“Can’t I stop the tablets, just for the summer?” He asked through a mouthful of bread and turkey meat.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?” His dad replied.

“I didn’t have any when...when I was out of the house and I was fine. I bet I ate a whole lot more then too.”

“And that had nothing to do with the pot you were smoking?”

“No.” Stiles flushed, cramming more sandwich into his mouth as a distraction.  He brushed the crumbs off his hands and got up to put his plate in the sink.

“We can discuss the tablets another day.” His dad told him, gesturing for him to go through to the den. He felt his dad’s hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him down onto the couch.

“So....are you ungrounding me?” He looked up hopefully as his dad sat down at the far end of the couch.

His dad sighed, rubbing his eyes and digging in his pocket. “Here.” He tossed Stiles’ phone to him and leant back, legs crossed. “And yes, I’m ungrounding you, but there are conditions. I want you in by 11pm sharp if you go out. Any later than that, and there’ll be trouble.”

Stiles nodded, his brain already working furiously to think up ways of getting around this new, completely over the top curfew. He switched his phone on, grinning as it beeped continuously for several minutes.

“And I want to know who you’re with and what you’re doing when you do go out, and if I don’t approve of certain people, you’re not to associate with them.” His dad continued.  Stiles nodded again, as he read through a week old text from Erica. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yes dad. Curfew, tell you who I’m with, the ridiculous judging of my friends, I got it.”

“I’m serious Stiles, you miss curfew once and it’s back to no phone, no laptop, no going out.”

“I know! Why do you always assume I’m going to break your rules?”

“Because I know you. I wish you’d stop joking around about this son, I want to be able to trust you again, I really do, but it’s going to take time to get there after everything that’s happened recently.”

“I get it dad, I want you to trust me again as well.” He shoved his phone into the pocket of his shorts to stop himself getting distracted. “I am sorry you know. I don’t mean to be such a fuck up.”

“Watch your language.” His dad tutted. “And that’s not what I think you are. I think you’ve had a hard couple of months and you were acting out. You aren’t the first kid to do that and I’m damn sure you won’t be the last; hell, I’d be out of a job if you were. I just want you to promise me you’ll stick to the rules for now and keep up your appointments with Dr. Monkton.”

“I promise.”

“Good, now get out of here. I’m fed up seeing you moping around the house.”

Stiles leapt to his feet, grinning.

“You sure you don’t want to talk about me coming off the adderall?” He grinned as he started up the stairs.

“Don’t push it Stiles.” His dad shouted.

**. o o o .**

Stiles’ life largely returned to normal once he was no longer grounded, although only for a given value of normal; the 11pm curfew certainly impacted on his ability to get dragged along to pack meetings by Scott, who had begrudging joined Derek’s pack as a show of solidarity to the alpha pack. Stiles still found himself lying on a semi-regular basis about who he was with; he was pretty certain that no matter how much he abided by his dad’s rules, hanging out in abandoned buildings with Derek Hale would always be a big no-no.

“Dad, I’m going to the mall.” Stiles called as he rushed through the hall way, skidding on the rug and stumbling into the front door. “See you later.”

“Are you forgetting something?” His dad asked, appearing in the doorway, Stiles’ keys dangling from his index finger.

“Thanks dad.” Stiles made to grab the keys, only to have them pulled up and out of his grip.

“With?”

“Huh?”

“Who are you going with?”

“Who do you think, dad. Scott and Isaac.” Stiles reached for his keys again, grinning when his dad handed them over.

“I’m glad you’re making more friends.” His dad called as he walked out of the kitchen, tossing his keys in the air and catching them as he went. He fumbled his catch, keys clattering loudly on the hardwood floors.

“What do you mean, making more friends?” Stiles asked, trailing back into the kitchen. “I’ve got plenty of friends.”

“I know you do, it’s nice to see you hanging out with Isaac as well as Scott. And I think it’s good of the both of you to include him in your plans. He’s had a rough time.”

“It’s more me getting included in their plans and I still feel like I’m crashing them half the time.” Stiles muttered, sitting down at the breakfast bar beside his dad. “I don’t think Isaac likes me all that much.” He folded his arms on the table top, leaning down and resting his chin on them.

“I’m sure he does.” His dad replied, reaching across and rubbing his back. “He just doesn’t know you all that well yet.”

“But I keep trying with him and he just acts like I’m being weird.” Stiles pouted. “And I’m pretty sure him and Scott are doing loads of stuff without me.”

“Well you can come on a little strong sometimes.” His dad said cautiously. “Just be yourself, stop trying to force it.”

“But what if Scott decides he likes Isaac better as a friend than me?” Stiles asked in a small voice. “Cause that’s what it feels like is happening and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“Give it time, son.” His dad replied, continuing to rub his back. “Don’t forget it probably feels odd for Scott as well right now. It’s a big change for him too, having Isaac move in with him. Maybe when Isaac’s emancipation comes through things will settle down a bit.”

“I guess.” Stiles answered, getting to his feet and pulling a face. “I better go, if I’m not there on time, they’ll probably forget all about me and wander off.”

“You going to be home for dinner?”

“Nah, we’ll probably just hit up the food court. “ He replied, shoving his keys into his pocket. “See you later.”

“Have fun.” His dad said, getting up and pulling Stiles into a hug. “Try not to let it get to you too much.”

“I won’t.”

“Love you son.”

“I love you too dad. Don’t go ordering takeout though, just ‘cause I’m not going to be in for dinner! I’ll know if you have!” He called over his shoulder as he left the house.

 


	10. Chapter 10

“You know, I could have you arrested for this.” Stiles looked up as Derek climbed in the window. “My dad, you know, the sheriff, is right downstairs. Gun, handcuffs, the lot.”

“No he isn’t. He hasn’t been in the house for hours.”

“Well he could have been. What do you want?”

“I need that book.” Derek replied, crossing to Stiles’ desk, carelessly moving aside papers and clothes.

“Which book?” Stiles asked, frowning as Derek shoved a pile of clothes onto the floor.

“The one about witches.”

“Which witch book.” Stiles laughed, earning himself a glare from Derek. “My dad confiscated all the books.” Stiles replied, putting down his PSP on the bed and getting up to retrieve the clothes Derek had thrown on the floor. “Something about me being led astray. Sorry.”

“Well where did he put them? I need it.”

“I have no idea. I just know they’re not in the house.” He asked, watching as Derek continued to shuffle through a pile of loose papers. “Did you want something else?”

“You smell like you’ve been crying.”

“You do realise that’s a massively creepy thing to say, right? Oh god, is this how you do concerned?”

“I was trying to be polite.” Derek replied, leaning on the back of Stiles’ desk chair.

“Well telling people they smell generally isn’t considered polite. And yeah, so what if I’ve been crying? I had to go see Dr. Monkton today. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.” He ran a hand over his head, shifting uncomfortably as Derek watched him and sat down on the bed. “Are witches a thing now then? Is that why you need that book?”

“No. I just wanted it.”

“Well I don’t have it, so could you close the window when you leave.”

“It was my brother’s birthday today.” Derek blurted out, his claws extending slightly as he tightened his grip on the back of the chair.

“Really? How old would he have been?”

“29.” Derek took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax and retract his claws.

“You want to talk about it?” Stiles asked, picking up his PSP and turning it around in his hands.

“No.” Derek let go of the chair, sitting down and pulling his lighter from his pocket, glaring down at it.

“So what does the _J_ stand for then?” Stiles asked, nodding towards the lighter in Derek’s hands. “Cause I’m guessing the _H_ is for Hale, right?”

“Joseph.”

“Sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Very.”

Stiles shrugged, turning his PSP back on and leaning back against his pillows. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Derek running a hand over his face, staring down at the lighter in his hand as he traced the engraved letters with the side of his thumb.

“He was looking for this the night before the fire.” Derek mumbled, the sound of his voice making Stiles jump. “He was meant to be going to visit friends from college and was packing his stuff and couldn’t find it. He accused Laura of stealing it.” He sighed, throwing the lighter onto Stiles’ bed and rubbing his eyes.

“What was he like?” Stiles switched off his PSP again and leant forward, his elbows on his knees.

“I’m not sitting here and discussing my family with you.”

“Sure about that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Derek glared, feeling annoyed when Stiles only rolled his eyes in response.

“It’s just you keep saying you don’t want to talk about stuff but then you start telling me anyway. More specifically, you climb into my room to not talk about stuff with some weak sauce excuse about wanting a book.”

“I did want that book...”

“If you say so.”

“I’m leaving now.” Derek got to his feet, stalking over to the window and looking out at the back yard.

“Don’t you want this back?” Stiles held out the lighter to him, meeting his gaze and holding it as he walked back across the room.

“Does talking to your therapist really help?” Derek asked as Stiles passed him the lighter, his fingertips trailing over Derek’s own for just a second too long. Stiles nodded, stretching his arms out behind him and leaning back.

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t particularly like talking to him, and it doesn’t feel all that great at the time, but I usually feel better after. Why?”

“You haven’t told anyone what I said the other day?”

“No! Why would I?” Stiles looked hurt at the suggestion. “For a start, I haven’t been anywhere or seen anyone to tell them. And,” he added when he saw the expression on Derek’s face, “like I said the other day, I don’t go around sharing other people’s secrets. Could you just say whatever it is that’s on your mind, because you’re clearly desperate to talk about something and I’d quite like to go to sleep at some point tonight.”

“I don’t know how.” Derek said quietly, sitting down next to Stiles. “I’ve never really spoken to anyone except Laura about everything that happened.”

 “If you’re not going to say anything, I’m going to at least put some music on. I can’t cope sitting here in silence.” Stiles pushed himself off the bed, only for Derek to reach out and grab him by the wrist.

“You have terrible taste in music.” He scowled as Stiles sat back down.

“Well say something then!” Stiles tried to pull his wrist from Derek’s grip.

“Like what? That I miss my brother?”

“Yes! That’s a start. What was he like?”

“Laura used to say that I hero-worshipped him. Before the fire, anyway. Afterwards she wouldn’t talk about him.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know, maybe because they had a fight the night before it happened.” Derek stared down at the floor, his grip on Stiles’ wrist loosening slightly.

“Why’d Laura say you worshipped him?” Stiles attempted to pull his wrist free again, watching Derek cautiously.

“Don’t know.” He was still staring fixedly ahead of him and caught hold of Stiles’ hand before he could move away, entwining their fingers. He ignored the confused noise Stiles made, the sound of his heart suddenly racing; he wasn’t quite sure why he was holding hands with Stiles but felt better for it. “Maybe I did hero-worship him, but he was my brother, that’s what you’re meant to do, right? Me and Laura didn’t really get on that well before, she used to make jokes about me in front of her friends and try and start fights with me all the time. Joseph used to get her to back off. And he never used to complain when our mom would make him take me places with him.” Much to his annoyance, he heard his voice crack slightly as he spoke and felt tears pricking at his eyes. He reached up and rubbed his eyes roughly with his free hand.

“Sounds like he was a good guy.” Stiles replied. He lightly brushed Derek’s thumb with his own, staring down at their hands; it was concerning him how right it felt for Derek’s fingers to be entwined with his own..

“He was, mostly. He could be a jerk sometimes, like when he beat up one of Laura’s boyfriends ‘cause the guy was a sophomore and she was still in junior high and he used to spend way too much time with Peter thinking up these mean ass pranks to play on me and Laura.”

“Isn’t that what brothers are meant to do though? Not that I’d know, being an only child and all that.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I bet he wouldn’t be fucking up being an alpha as bad as I am.” Derek frowned, tensing when he felt Stiles squeeze his hand sympathetically.

“Yet another thing I’m not really much of an expert on, but you don’t seem to be doing all that bad. Better than Peter anyway. There’s been a distinct lack of me and Scott nearly getting murdered.”

“Boyd and Erica ran away. Scott didn’t want to be part of my pack. Peter struts around the place doing whatever the hell he wants. There’s a goddamn alpha _pack_ lurking around the edges of our territory. That’s fucking up by my standards.”

“Boyd and Erica came back though. And Scott’s in your pack now.” Stiles squeezed Derek’s hand again for emphasis. “And when was the last time the alpha pack actually came in to your territory?”

“A couple of weeks ago, I guess.” Derek scowled at his feet. “But still...”

“Still nothing. Not fucking up.”

“Feels like I am.”

“Hey, I thought I’d cornered the market on deep seated insecurity.” Stiles teased lightly, looking down at his hand again. “So uh, this is a new thing.”

Derek quickly pulled his hand away and got to his feet, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

“I’ve got to go.” He muttered, crossing to the window. “Thanks for listening.”

“Any time.” Stiles responded, Derek paused and looked over his shoulder as he began to climb out the window, shooting Stiles an awkward half smile before disappearing into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I've invented another relative for Derek here! Hope this isn't something people are against or anything; my story, my headcanon!


	11. Chapter 11

“Aren’t you two a little old for Cartoon Network?” Stiles jumped as Erica appeared in the door way to the den.

“Why are you here? You’re not a boy. This is boys night!” He got to his feet, flapping his hands at her as if to shoo her from the room. Boys night was clearly on his dad’s lists of approved activities. It had taken some effort on Stiles’ behalf to convince his dad to let Boyd join him, Scott and Isaac as well, given that his name had never come up in conversation and his dad wasn’t aware of Boyd outside of a “the kid ran away” capacity. Eventually though, he had relented and much to Stiles’ relief, had mentioned that he would probably be working late that night anyway, leaving them with the house to themselves.

“Relax,” she smirked, her eyes flashing dangerously. “I’m just dropping Boyd off. I have better things to do than hang around and interrupt bro-time.” She shot him an altogether too toothy smile and grabbed hold of Boyd’s wrist as he brushed passed her, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

Stiles turned away, raising an eyebrow at Scott who mimed sticking his fingers down his throat and vomiting before turning his attention back to the TV.

“She’s got a point man.” Boyd commented as Erica slammed the door behind her, sitting down in the recliner. “Isn’t this a kids show?”

“Dude. It’s Adventure Time. It’s awesome!” Stiles replied, settling himself on the couch. “Stop sneering and enjoy! We’re not watching movies and having boys night until Isaac gets here.”

“Where is Lahey anyway?” Boyd asked, reaching down to pull off his sneakers.

“He’s with my mom.” Scott piped up. “They had to go see his social worker about his emancipation or something. He’s gonna be here in like fifteen minutes. Now be quiet, I want to see what happens!”

**. o o o .**

“I can’t believe you invited Derek to boys night.” Stiles hissed to Isaac as they grabbed bags of chips from the kitchen. “My dad is going to _freak_ if he comes home and finds Derek Hale in his house!”

“Isn’t your dad working overnight?” Isaac asked, opening one of the bags of chips and eating a handful. “And it’s not like I invited him; he needs to talk to me about something and I told him this is where I’d be. He’s not going to come in and hang out.”

“Well he better not.” Stiles mumbled as they made their way back into the den.

“Liar.”

“Urgh! I hate hanging out with werewolves!”

“What’s he lying about now?” Boyd asked as Stiles and Isaac entered the room.

“That he doesn’t want Derek to come and hang out with us.” Isaac commented, throwing a bag of chips to Boyd. Stiles ignored them both, clambering over the back of the couch to and sitting down; Scott shot him a quick glance before looking away and smirking.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want him here, I said my dad would freak out if he found him here.” Stiles corrected. “That’s two different things entirely. I’m pretty sure inviting people my dad has personally arrested into the house would lead to another grounding. And I don’t always lie!”

“Uh, you just lied then!” Scott grinned up at him from his position on the floor.

“I don’t know why you’re complaining so much.” Boyd commented as he ate his chips. “You do realise we can all smell his scent outside your house, right? He’s obviously been here recently.”

“Yeah, but not because I’ve said, ‘hey Derek, come over and watch movies with us’! He showed up randomly demanding a book from me! Can we please just watch a movie now?”

**. o o o .**

Derek appeared some forty minutes later, lurking in the hall way, making no one but Stiles jump when he looked into the den. He nodded for Isaac to come and speak with him outside. Stiles’ attention was wandering from the movie, and he pulled his phone from his pocket to see that his dad had text him.

“ _Definitely won’t be home tonight, very busy at station. Don’t stay up all night. And keep the noise down while the boys are there._ ”

“ _K. C U tomorro. dont work 2 hard!_ ” Stiles slid his phone back into his pocket, turning his attention back to the screen as Isaac ambled back into the room, followed by Derek.

“I’d definitely put her on my list.” Boyd commented, watching appreciatively as on screen, Emma Stone fought off zombies.

“Dude! She’s on my list too!” Stiles cried happily, leaning across the gap between the couch and armchair and attempting to fist bump Boyd. “See Isaac, I told you normal people have lists.” He turned back to look at Isaac when it became apparent Boyd would not be returning the fist bump.

“What are you watching?” Derek asked, sitting down in the empty recliner and frowning at the TV.

“You’ve never seen Zombieland?” Stiles asked, outraged. “It’s like the best movie ever. Emma Stone plus zombies. What more could you want?”

Derek shrugged, pulling a half empty bag of chips from Scott’s grasp.

“Come on Isaac, surely you’d put her on your list.” Stiles wheedled, trying to ignore the fact that Derek was sitting with them as though it was the most normal thing in the world. His gaze flickered to Derek’s hand, his fingers curled slightly around the arm of the recliner and tried to push the memory of sitting in his room and holding Derek’s hand from his mind.

“No. Firstly, because I don’t have a list, and secondly, she looks like she’d be a pain in the ass.”

“No one’s asking you to marry her! It’s just so, you know, if you ever get a girlfriend, you’ll be allowed to sleep with her with no repercussions.”

“Do you realise how ridiculous you sound?” Derek commented, finishing off the bag of chips and leaning forward to put the empty bag on the coffee table.

“No one’s making you hang out with us.” Stiles snapped. “And anyway, Boyd has a list.” He pointed at Boyd, as though Derek might not know who he meant.

“I’m surprised you’re not putting what’s-his-face on your list.” Isaac remarked, gesturing towards Jesse Eisenberg.

“Not my type.” Stiles replied. “Especially not with that Isaac-a-like haircut he’s sporting.”

“You sure you don’t need another guy to balance out your list?” Isaac retorted harshly.

“Shut up.” Stiles felt his cheeks growing warm as he blushed, wondering where Isaac’s anger had suddenly come from.  He put his feet up on the couch, hugging his knees against his chest and glared at the screen.  He could see out of the corner of his eye that Boyd and Derek were shooting confused looks at each other.

“You’ve got guys on your list?” Boyd asked at last, breaking the awkward silence.

“No. I’ve got one guy on my list. Not that I thought that was a particularly big deal. Apparently it is though.” He glared at Isaac, who was staring angrily into the hall way, his chin resting on his hand.

“Who?” 

“Johnny Depp.” Stiles muttered. He could feel everyone watching him and kept his head bowed.

“Not exactly my type.” Boyd laughed, trying to ease the tension. “Erica has him on her list and she obviously has great taste.” He grinned widely

Stiles merely snorted in response.

“Seriously, she’ll be very pleased about that.” Boyd continued. “She’ll probably want to compare notes or something.”

“Or you could just not tell her.” Stiles snapped, looking up at Boyd. “No offence dude, ‘cause I know she’s your girlfriend and everything now, but ever since he – “ he gestured at Derek “ – bit her, she’s turned into a royal pain in the ass and I’m pretty sure she’ll be running her mouth all over school and before you know it, I’ve blown half the  lacrosse team in the locker room or some other bullshit rumour.”

“Dude, calm down.” Scott pushed himself off the floor and onto the couch to sit next to Stiles, putting his hand on his shoulder.

“I am calm.” Stiles muttered, resting his chin on his knees.

“Liar.” Isaac suddenly remarked, “We all know you’re not. Fucking drama queen.”

Stiles looked up sharply as Scott gasped in shock.

“Here’s an idea, how about you get the fuck out of my house.” He shouted at Isaac, getting to his feet and storming out of the den and up to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

**. o o o .**

“Are you alright?” Stiles mentally awarded himself ten points for not jumping when he heard Derek’s voice and continued to stare down at the kitchen sink.

“I’m fine. Why are you still here? I thought everyone left.”

“They did, I didn’t. Erica just came for Boyd a few minutes ago. And don’t lie to me.” Derek padded across the kitchen, leaning on the counter beside the sink and watching him.

“Alright, so I’m not fine. I just don’t get what Isaac’s problem is. I’m trying to be his friend and all he does is bitch at me. I’m the one that should feel all slighted and shit; he’s the one stealing _my_ best friend and being a dick to me. And yes, I realise how pathetic I sound right now.” He turned sideways to face Derek, but kept his gaze downcast, fiddling with his phone in his hoodie pocket. 

“He doesn’t have a problem with you.”

“Well he’s got a funny way of showing it.” Stiles muttered. “And just so you know, I hold you partially responsible for all this. If you hadn’t offered him the bite, he wouldn’t be bestest buds with Scott all of a sudden and I wouldn’t be getting sidelined.”

“You’d rather his father was still alive and locking him in the basement then?” Derek asked quietly.

“No!” Stiles looked up at him incredulously. “Of course I don’t want that. I can’t believe you actually just said that.”

“Sorry.” Derek yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. “I know it’s not easy, but cut him some slack, he got some bad news today.”

“Yeah? What bad news was that?”

“Not really my place to talk about it.” Derek replied, putting his hands in his pockets and watching Stiles.

“Well maybe he shouldn’t be taking it out on me. It’s not my fault he’s having a bad day.”

He folded his arms defensively, waiting for Derek to say something.

“So, Johnny Depp?”

“Don’t you start. I’ve had enough of people ragging on me about that for tonight. You’re welcome to come back tomorrow and make jokes at my expense ‘cause I seriously cannot deal with it tonight.”

“I don’t want to make jokes. It just surprised me.”

“What? That I like guys?”

“No. That you’d pick Johnny Depp.”

“Oh ha ha. I thought you weren’t going to make jokes.”

“I’m not. I’m being serious. You strike me as more of Jared Leto kind of guy.” Derek gave him a small smile.

“Jared Leto. You know who Jared Leto is? Seriously?”

“Seriously what? Of course I do. I don’t live a hole in the ground for god’s sake.”

“I know that. I just meant what with you being all on the run and stuff and then when you came back here and were living in your old house and stuff. Thought you would have been all out of touch with the real world, I guess.”

“It wasn’t all running and hiding.” Derek told him. “Laura made me go and watch his band in New York one time. It was pretty good.”

Stiles laughed to himself, unfolding his arms and fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie.

“What’s so funny?” Derek asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that you seem to think I’ve got a terrible taste in music but you’ve been to see one of my favourite bands play live. Hypocrite.”

“It’s not being a hypocrite if I don’t know you like them. You’ve only ever listened to terrible music in front of me.”

“So what other bands do you like?” Stiles asked, anger over Isaac completely forgotten.

“Why do you care?” Derek replied. “I only stuck around to make sure you were alright. I’ve got other things to do than hang out and talk about music with you.”

“No you haven’t. You’re going to go back and sit in your little apartment and do nothing. Just think, you could recommend me some music and save me from a life of terrible choices.” He grinned, nudging Derek in the arm with his elbow.

“No.” Derek shot him another small smile. “You watch Fear and Loathing if you’re into Johnny Depp though. It’s weird, you’d probably like it.”  He glanced towards the door again, pulling his phone from his pocket to check the time. “I gotta go.”

Stiles trailed after him into the hall way, watching as Derek checked for his phone and keys.

“Hey, thanks for making sure I was ok.” He muttered, taking a step closer. He was pleased to see that Derek didn’t move away. “It’s normally Scott’s job to calm me down after being a tool.”

“Right.” Derek muttered, looking down at his boots. Stiles shuffled closer again, not quite touching Derek but near enough to feel the warmth of him.

“I mean it, dude. I’m really grateful for it. I’d probably have just sat in my room and cried all night otherwise.”

“Seriously?” Derek looked up, raising an eyebrow when he realised how close Stiles was.

“Yeah. I’m kind of lame like that. So thanks.”

“You’re not lame. People deal with stuff in different ways.”

“Yeah...” Stiles replied, watching Derek’s mouth.

“So...” Derek glanced over his shoulder at the door. Stiles took a deep breath and closed the minimal gap between the two of them, leaning forward and one hand on his arm, kissed him tentatively. He heard what he could only describe as a confused whimper from Derek, and felt him tense at the contact for a moment. He was surprised when, as he went to pull away, Derek grabbed his upper arm and returned the kiss briefly. However, all too soon for Stiles’ liking, Derek moved away, a look of tortured bewilderment on his face.

“Leaving.” Derek muttered, looking away from Stiles and wrenching the door open. Stiles slumped down on the bottom step, staring at the back of the door for a long time, wondering what the hell he had just done. A tiny part of his brain kept chiming in and pointing out that Derek kissed him back, but he ignored it, too overwhelmed to consider why Derek returned the kiss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the way I've written Stiles in this chapter is how my own ADD made me behave around people when I was younger, combinded with a little bit of how my younger brother acts because of his ADD. Yay for never being able to sit still, or shut up or behave appropriately in social settings, I guess....


	12. Chapter 12

“ _srsly need 2 talk to u._ ” Stiles glared at his phone, mentally urging Scott to reply to his text message. He’d woken late that morning after a bad night’s sleep, having spent hours replaying _the kiss_ over and over in his head, wondering if Derek would believe that he had been suffering from temporary insanity. His phone beeped a few minutes later, shaking him out of yet another replay of the night before.

“ _y, wats up?_ ”

“ _cant tell u over the fone or txt. can u come over. minus Isaac._ ”

“ _yeah, ok. be there in 20_.”

Thank god for best friends like Scott, Stiles thought, flopping back on his bed and hugging a pillow to his chest.  True to his word, Scott turned up twenty five minutes later, letting himself in the house and charging up the stairs.

“What’s up dude?” He asked, sitting down at the end of Stiles’ bed.

“I did something majorly, majorly stupid last night.” Stiles muttered.

“You mean telling everyone to fuck off?” Scott asked. “Isaac says to tell you he’s sorry for being a dick to you by the way.”

“I don’t care what Isaac says. And no, I’m not talking about that.”

“So you did two stupid things last night? What stupid thing are we talking about now?”

“You’ve got to promise, and I mean seriously, take this to your grave promise, you won’t repeat a word of what I’m about to tell you.”

“Ok...”

“Say it!” Stiles sat up, his shoulder brushing against Scott’s.

“I’m promise.”

“I may have kinda kissed Derek last night.”

“May have kinda?” Scott raised an eyebrow. “That’s bad, even for you. And seriously, Derek? Why?!”

“I don’t know.” Stiles muttered, hiding his face in his hands. “I just sort of threw myself at him. It was very, very lame.” He shook his head, his cheeks flushing red as he thought about it.

“What did Derek do? Did he freak?”

“Not as such...not straight away, anyway.”

“What do you mean, not straight away? You mean he kissed you back? Seriously?”

“Stop saying seriously. Yes, seriously.”

“Then what happened?”

“The he did a Derek. Ran away.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Now _I’m_ freaking out. What am I supposed to do? Do you think he’d believe it was a moment of temporary insanity?”

“Well first off, he’ll know you’re lying and second, I’m not sure your version of insanity is only temporary.”

“Dude! You have to help me!”

“How am I supposed to help?!”

“I don’t know! Tell me that he’s not going to rip my throat out or maim me or whatever next time I see him!”

“It’s Derek. I think the threat of maiming is always there.” Scott scratched his head, a look of intense concentration on his face.  “Have you, you know, tried talking to him about it?”

“No! The first thing I did after I woke up was text you. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to him!”

“I don’t either! Did you like it? Like, do you want to kiss him again?”

“Kind of...” Stiles mumbled, his cheeks flushing again. “But I doubt he’d want to. Have you seen me?”

“Don’t be stupid. You said he kissed you back, right? Some part of him must want to. Anyway, you’re going to have to talk to him at some point, right?”

“I hate you.” Stiles huffed. “You’ve got no business being right and sensible about stuff.”

Scott grinned at him, with what he clearly considered to be a wise expression on his face.

“Dude, I’m always right. Talking of talking to people,” His expression changed from wise to shifty, “are you going to talk to Isaac about last night?”

“What do you mean, talk to him? I’m not apologising to him. He called me a drama queen. Not to mention telling Boyd and Derek about my Johnny Depp thing. He should be apologising to me.”

“You told him to fuck off.” Scott pointed out. “And you told Boyd that Erica is a pain in the ass and a gossip.”

“Could you stop reminding me?” Stiles pouted.

“I’m just saying, you should apologise to Isaac. He wants to apologise to you, but I told him he couldn’t come over right now.”

“Why do you have to do everything with Isaac now?” Stiles complained. “I mean, I get that he’s living in your house and all that, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend every single minute of the day with him.”

“I don’t! And it’s still a bit weird having him living at my house. I think he feels uncomfortable when it’s just him and my mom there.”

“Yeah well I feel uncomfortable when he follows you round like a shadow.” Stiles admitted. “It feels like I’m the third wheel to your wolfy duo.”

“Dude. You’re still my best friend. It’ll get better when Isaac’s been at mine a bit longer, he won’t feel so weird about being in the house without me. It’s just he doesn’t really have anyone besides me and Derek.”

“What about Boyd and Erica? Why can’t he go and dazzle them with his personality?”

“I don’t know, I don’t think he feels all that comfortable hanging out with them since they got together."

“Imagine that. Erica making people uncomfortable.”

“”Yeah, well. Please Stiles. You’re my best friend, he’s my friend, Can’t you just try and get on for me?”

“Only if he apologises.”

“He wants to, I already told you that.”

“Fine. But can we still just hang out on our own sometimes, like old times?” Stiles asked, not caring if he sounded pathetic and needy.

“Course we can. You going to talk to Derek?”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me. I’m your bestest friend!” Scott nudged Stiles with his shoulder; werewolf strength completely forgotten, and knocked him to the floor.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Stiles found himself parked outside Derek’s apartment building later that afternoon, staring fixedly at the front door and trying to work up the courage to get out of the car and knock. He gripped the wheel of his Jeep tightly, feeling slightly panicky as he found himself over-thinking all the ways Derek might react.

“Enough!” He told himself, forcing himself to get out of the car and climb up the stairs to Derek’s front door. He knocked, timidly at first, but harder when it failed to open. He crossed back to the top of the stairs, checking that Derek’s Camaro was still parked up in the lot across the street before knocking on the door again.

“Come on dude, I know you’re in there.” He shouted as he banged on the door. After another few minutes, it opened a crack to reveal Derek glaring at him.

“I was asleep.” Derek mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Stiles replied, running his hand over his scalp. “Can I come in?”

“Is that really a good idea?” Derek asked, keeping his hand on the door handle and blocking the doorway.

“Yes! I think we need to talk about...you know.” He pushed the door, knowing it was a futile effort; if Derek didn’t want to open it, there was no way he was going to be able to move it. “Just let me in, just for five minutes.”

Derek sighed loudly and obviously, stepping aside to let Stiles into the gloomy apartment.

“I don’t know what you think there is to talk about.” Derek told Stiles as he sat down on the couch, raising his eyebrows when Stiles made to sit next to him. “Other couch.” He muttered pointedly, glaring at Stiles until he sat down.

“Really? You really don’t think I need to talk about what happened last night?” Stiles asked, exasperated, thinking to himself that this conversation would be a whole lot easier if Derek was wearing more than just sweatpants and a scowl. He shook his head, trying not to pay attention to Derek’s tousled hair, or the fact that he kept yawning sleepily, making him look younger and more vulnerable than usual.

“No.”

“Derek. We kissed.” Stiles blushed and took a deep breath, as if to steady himself before continuing. “Don’t you think we should talk about that?”

“You kissed me. And no, we don’t need to talk about it.”

“You mean you don’t want to.” Stiles asked, watching angrily as Derek shrugged. “Well I need to talk about it, so I’m going to and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He baulked slightly when he heard the low growl in Derek’s throat. “OK, so you probably can do something to stop me, but that’s beside the point.”

“I’m sorry, OK? For throwing myself at you. I kinda wish I had an excuse, like I was drunk or something, but I don’t and that’s  kinda making me feel like even more of a tool. And I know you obviously just want to forget it happened and then we can go back to being not-friends and stuff. So, yeah, that’s what I had to say.”

“Why did you do it?” Derek asked, running his hand through his hair.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time? That’s pretty much why I do anything.” Stiles tried. “I was feeling all miserable and crap and you were being nice. Or at least your version of nice. It was just...you know, impulse.”

Derek sniffed disapprovingly and scratched his stomach, watching Stiles as he fidgeted on the couch.

“Look, I’d just be really grateful if you could accept my pathetic apology, forget about it and never remind me of what an idiot I am again.”

“Do you want to forget about it?”

“Yes.” Stiles lied, scowling when he saw Derek roll his eyes. “OK, so maybe I don’t. But I know you do.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Know what I want?”

“Does anyone know what you want? You’re an enigma.” Stiles replied sarcastically. “And I’m pretty sure you do want to forget about it. ‘Cause I’m a guy and a clumsy spaz and I mess up all your wolfy schemes all the time and the last thing you need to worry about is me throwing myself at you again.” He paused for breath, watching Derek as he considered his comment.

“Look, you did it for a reason, and I don’t believe for one minute that the reason was because I was nice to you. Tell me the truth.”

“I did.” Stiles muttered, glaring down at the floorboards, knowing full well what Derek was going to say.

“No, you didn’t.

“I’m going.” Stiles snapped, getting to his feet.

“No, you’re not.” Derek got to the door before him, blocking his exit. “Not until you tell me the truth. Why did you do it?”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t. Stop stalling and answer my question. Why.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Stiles shouted, trying to pull Derek away from the door. “Because for some stupid, ridiculous reason I like you. Happy? Now get out of the way.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, you like me?” Derek asked, keeping his hand on the doorknob.

“Are you stupid or something? It means I like you. As in I think you’re hot.” He blushed furiously, storming across the room and throwing himself down on the couch. “Are you trying to make this more painfully embarrassing for me than it already is?”

“No.” Derek replied as he sat down on the other end of the couch.

“Well you’re doing a good job of it.” Stiles muttered, his chin on his hand as he looked away from Derek.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re making me talk to you about it. You could have just let me leave.”

“You confuse me.” Derek said. “You were the one that came here to talk and now you won’t talk.”

“Yeah well you confuse me too. You kissed me back. Why? Why didn’t you tell me to get lost or threaten me or whatever?”

“Is that what you wanted me to do? Tell you where to go?”

“No!”

“So why are you complaining? You wanted me to kiss you back, right?”

“Well yeah. But that’s not the point. The point is, you made things worse and made me more confused.” Stiles turned to glare at Derek who shrugged, looking nonplussed.

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

“Don’t know.” Stiles muttered, folding his arms.

“You want to kiss me again, don’t you?” Derek asked quietly. Stiles looked up in surprise, his cheeks burning red.

“No!” He cringed when he realised what he had said; Derek raised an eyebrow to indicate that yes, he did know Stiles had just lied again.”I’m going. I can’t talk to you about this anymore without dying of embarrassment. It’s bad enough that you know that I like you.”

“Why is it bad?”

“Stop asking me questions, I know you’re only doing it to try and catch me out in a lie! It’s bad because you already think I’m annoying and knowing that I have a crush on you or whatever just makes it ten times worse. So I’m sorry that you know and that now you’ll be uncomfortable around me until the end of time.” Stiles could feel his chest starting to tighten as he spoke and tried to force himself to calm down.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s the thing though,” Stiles snapped. “It does matter. It matters to me that you’ll probably avoid me now especially after you let me crash here when my dad kicked me out and made sure I was ok, ‘cause I kind thought that we might be sort of friends after that.” He tried to take a breath, aware that his heart rate was climbing and his breathing was becoming quicker and shallower. “I kinda resigned myself to the fact that nothing’s ever going to happen between us. I just kinda hoped that I’d at least get to be friends with you, ‘cause that’d be enough...” He trailed off and hunched over, clutching his stomach as he tried to slow his breathing down.

He was surprised when he felt Derek’s hand on his back; he was so focused on trying not to go into full panic mode that he hadn’t realised Derek have moved closer to him on the couch and tried  to pull away from him.

“Could you...just not touch me.” He managed to say between rapid breaths. “You’re making things worse.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Derek told him, his voice surprising soft, almost soothing. “And stop talking. You’re ok.” He moved his hand awkwardly, rubbing Stiles’ back through his t-shirt.

“You know, that doesn’t really calm me down.” Stiles muttered, pulling away from Derek.

“Oh.” Derek took his hand away, and sat back.

“Thanks for trying though.”  He sat up, taking deep breaths and running his hand over his hair. “Can I go now?”

“Do you want to?”

“I probably should.” Stiles shrugged. “Before I say something stupid or do something stupid. Or, you know, continue to exist. Whatever.”

“What stupid things would you say?”

“I’m not going to say the stupid things. The whole point of wanting to leave is so I don’t say the stupid things. You can’t just ask me what they are and expect me to tell you. Well, not unless you get me drunk first.”

“So do you want to leave?” Derek asked again, stifling a yawn.

“You’re going to do wolf powers at me if I lie, aren’t you?” Stiles sighed. Derek nodded at him, the briefest hint of a smile flickering across his face. “Urgh. That’s so unfair. No, I guess I don’t want to leave.”

“Why not.”

“See, the answer to that question falls into the stupid things category. Can I plead the fifth?”

“You do want to kiss me again, don’t you?” Derek asked, sounding completely unfazed. Stiles blushed furiously, looking away from him and shook his head. “Even if I couldn’t tell when you’re lying, that was pretty obvious.” Derek told him.

“Shut up. Why are you being such a dick? Is this how you get your entertainment? By laughing about the fact that I’m attracted to you? That’s a massively dickish thing to do.” He turned to glare at Derek, who was looking down at his folded arms, a frown on his face. “Could you just tell me what exactly you’re getting out of making me admit all this, ‘cause I really don’t get it.”

“I’m not being a dick.” Derek replied when Stiles stopped for breath. “I wanted to know.”

“But why?” Stiles demanded. “What possible reason could you have for wanting to know? Or do I just need to wait until it comes back to bite me in the ass in some soul crushingly embarrassing way?”

“Maybe I want....” Derek mumbled looking away, his sentence trailing off.

“What?” Stiles snapped.

“Maybe I want you to kiss me again.” Derek said, so quietly that Stiles wasn’t sure at first that he’d said it.

“Wait, what? Did you just say? Is this just a set up for some elaborate practical joke?”

“No.” Derek frowned again.

“Oh, that’s right, you don’t do jokes, or humour, or amusement of any kind. Well, obviously other than making me want to die of embarrassment,

“Could you just shut up, just for a minute.” Derek asked. “”Why do you assume I’m making some kind of joke?”

“Because! Because you’re sitting there telling me that you maybe want me to kiss you. And it’s you. Have you seen you? And because, well, it’s me and I’m a guy and, yeah.” He gestured at himself, before throwing himself back against the couch cushions.

“I’m not joking.” Derek said levelly.

“Seriously?” Stiles turned his head to one side to look at Derek properly, receiving a nod in reply. “You, illegally attractive you, want me to kiss you? Seriously?” Derek nodded again; Stiles was amazed to see a faint pink blush spread across his cheek bones..

“But why?” Stiles asked again. He watched with trepidation as Derek shifted slightly, narrowing the gap between them on the couch, trying not to focus on Derek’s unreasonably beautiful eyes.

“You could stop asking questions and just do it.” Derek replied. Stiles bit his lip, watching Derek’s face intently for any sign that he was joking, blushing when Derek’ made eye contact with him, his gaze flicking down briefly to Stiles’ lips.

“I guess I could.” Stiles moved slightly, turning towards Derek and licking his lips nervously.

“So what are you...” Derek began to ask, his words cut off as Stiles leant forward and kissed him.

Stiles could feel his heart rate starting to climb again, a feeling that annoyed the tiny part of his brain that wasn’t concentrating on kissing Derek. He pulled away slightly, twisting into a more comfortable position, his knee brushing against Derek and leant back in to kiss him again, moaning softly as Derek’s hand found his, their fingers lacing together. After several minutes of surprising chaste kisses, he felt emboldened, parting his lips further and felt Derek copy the motion. He moaned again, slipping his tongue between Derek’s lips only to feel Derek tense and pull away from him. Stiles groaned unhappily at the sudden lack of physical contact, giving Derek a confused look.

“I can’t do this.” Derek muttered, getting to his feet, running both hand through his already tousled hair. Stiles watched as Derek paced around the kitchenette. He was starting to feel uneasy; Derek’s behaviour seemed like a complete over-reaction.

“Dude, you’re freaking me out.”

“You need to go.” Derek kept his back to Stiles, stalking across the apartment and wrenching the front door open.

“Did I do something wrong?” Stiles asked as he reluctantly stood up and walked towards Derek.

“Stiles, just go.” Derek nodded towards the door again. “Please.”

“Fine. I’m going.” He paused as he passed Derek. “But you seriously owe me an explanation.”

“Go.” Derek shoved him out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Stiles walked slowly down the stairs to his Jeep, feeling shaky and confused, wondering what he could have done wrong to cause Derek to throw him out so callously.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Stiles glowered over the top of Peter’s laptop at Derek, not caring how obvious he might look to any of the others. He seemed to have been roped into being “pack researcher” yet again and was combing through Peter’s files trying to find out more information about the Alpha pack. Not that he minded doing research all that much; he just thought it would be nice if Derek would actually acknowledge what had happened the week before, or acknowledge him at all. Apparently, all communications were to be directed through Scott.

“Why is he here again?” Jackson snapped at Derek, pointing over Derek’s shoulder at Stiles.

“I came with Scott.” Stiles called, looking back down at the laptop.

“Yeah? And who did Scott come with? He isn’t part of this pack.”

“Yes he is.” Derek replied, brusquely pushing Jackson away from him.

“Yeah? According to who?”

“Are you serious?” Stiles piped up. “According to him. Alpha and all that. That’s kinda like saying you and who’s army to the Secretary of Defense.” He glanced at Derek again and thought he saw the vaguest hints of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

“Shut up Stilinski.” Jackson called. “No one asked you for an opinion.”

“You don’t call the shots around here, Jackson.” Derek snapped. “You’re part of my pack. You do what I say and you don’t get to complain about who I ask to be here.”

Jackson shifted, his blue eyes flashing as he snarled in Derek’s face. Stiles looked nervously at Scott who was getting warily to his feet, a movement copied by both Isaac and Boyd.

“You can either back off, Jackson.” Derek said calmly, shoving Jackson away from him, “Or you can leave. Think you’ll last long on your own? With an Alpha pack out there?”

“We’ve only got your word about the Alpha pack.” Jackson growled.

Before Derek could respond, Erica kicked the door open and stormed across the warehouse, throwing her bag onto the couch and narrowly missing Stiles.

“I’m so fucking fed up of the Alpha pack.” She snapped, not noticing the smirk that Derek shot Jackson. “That bitch, Kali, or whatever the hell she calls herself, was following me. Just following me around the mall like it was a completely normal thing to do, trying to get in my head about how our pack is weak and useless, and didn’t I want to join them instead because they’re so much more powerful. And,” She glowered, kicked a discarded can away from her, “I’m pretty sure she was coming on to me at one point.”

Scott sniggered, breaking the tension in the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Stiles saw Jackson shift back, his face still angry as he walked away from Derek, arms crossed tightly across his chest, keeping his back turned on the rest of the pack.

“She was coming on to you?” Scott laughed, frowned when Erica growled at him. “For real?”

“No idea I think she thinks that she’s Darth Vader or something, trying to lure me over to the dark side.” She pulled a face. “I think I preferred it when she was just trying to murder us in the woods.”

“Why does she want you?” Jackson commented, his back still turned. “You’re not an alpha.”

“Because she’ll expect Erica to kill me and become an alpha.” Derek muttered.

“So, did they all kill their alphas then?” Stiles asked, closing the laptop, frowning when he saw the look Derek gave him. “I’m just asking, it’s not like I’m making a suggestion!”

“They won’t all have killed, some of them could have been alpha’s without a pack.” Derek rolled his eyes, speaking directly to Stiles for the first time in a week.

“Like you were?” Stiles couldn’t stop himself from asking, earning himself another scowl from Derek. “So, if they’re all alpha’s, does that make Erica’s stalker an alpha-alpha? Is that a thing? ‘Cause they all seem to do what she says.”

“How should I know?” Derek asked sharply.

“Well what happens if one of them kills her? What happens if alphas kill other alphas?”

“Normally? They’d take over the defeated alpha’s pack. With an alpha pack? No idea. Probably get more powerful.”

“What if she kills one of them? They’re already pretty powerful right? ‘Cause they’re all alphas themselves? Does that mean she gets even stronger?”

“Like a sacrifice?” Derek looked up sharply, as though this had never occurred to him before.

“It was just a thought.” Stiles replied, shuffling on the uncomfortable couch as everyone looked at him.

“Pretty terrifying thought.” Erica muttered, sitting down beside him. “What would happen to us if they came after you?” She asked, looking up at Derek.

“They’d probably kill you too. None of you would be any use to them.”

“What if it’s not you they want?” Isaac said suddenly. “What if they want Peter?”

“Why would they want Peter? He’s not an alpha anymore.”

“Yeah but he was, before, you know.” Isaac pulled a face, making a throat slitting gesture. Derek frowned, mulling over Isaac’s suggestion.

“I need to talk to Peter about this.” Derek said, folding his arms. “And you all need to stay out of their way until we know what they want.”

“And what if they don’t stay out of our way?” Boyd asked.

“Run away?” Scott suggested.

“Just don’t antagonise them.” Derek replied, glaring at Stiles.

“Why are you all looking at me? I’m not going to go around trying to piss them off.”

“You don’t need to try.” Isaac sniggered. Stiles opened his mouth to argue, only to have Derek glare at him and shut his mouth again, opening the laptop for distraction.

“I’m serious Stiles. No antagonising anyone.” Derek snapped.

“Think you can manage that, Stilinski?” Jackson sneered. Stiles satisfied himself by giving Jackson the finger before turning his attention back to the laptop, making a mental league table of who was the jerkiest werewolf he knew while he scanned through Peter’s notes.

 


	15. Chapter 15

“Remind me again why we’re going to a carnival.” Boyd asked, glancing over his shoulder at Erica and echoing the sentiments of everyone else in the Jeep.

“Because it’s summer and there’s no school and it’s fun and it’s the sort of thing normal people do. We don’t have to be all wolf, all the time.”

“I’m not any wolf any of the time.” Stiles argued. “Why do I have to come?”

“Because Erica’s mom won’t let her take their car.” Isaac laughed, squashed between Erica and Scott in the back seat. Boyd had called shotgun and no one had thought to argue with him.

“So you only invited me because so I’d drive you? Wow, that hurts guys. “

“Think of it as your way of apologising for telling us to fuck off the other night.” Boyd smiled placidly.

“That’s not fair. A, because I didn’t tell you to fuck off, and B, because I already apologised to Isaac.”

“I’ll buy you a cotton candy if you stop complaining.” Erica told him, leaning forward and patting him on the head.

“You’ll buy me two. And I want a corn dog.”

**. o o o .**

“I am not going on that.” Stiles exclaimed, looking up at the rickety mini roller coaster that clattered and clanked above them. “It looks like it’s violating a whole bunch of health and safety regulations. It’ll probably collapse if you look at it wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m with Stiles.” Erica added. “I don’t really want to die at the fair.”

“Even if you did fall off, which you won’t, it wouldn’t kill you.” Isaac pointed out.

“Don’t care. I’m still not going on it.” Erica leant over and pulled a large handful of cotton candy from Stiles’ cone and crammed it in her mouth. “We’ll wait down here to pick bits of you out of the wreckage.” She waved the other three away and jumped down from the railing on which she was sitting.

“Wanna go on the tilt-a-whirl again?” She asked, linking her arm through Stiles and dragging him off down the midway. Stiles sighed loudly, finishing his cotton candy and let Erica pull him along behind her.

“Are you even giving me a choice?”

“Nope. Now move.”

“I’d have thought a carnival would have offended your super wolf hearing.” Stiles muttered, licking his fingers to get rid of the stickiness left by his cotton candy. “All these flashing lights and bells and stuff.”

“I like the flashing lights.” Erica replied, nudging him with her elbow before pulling him closer. “I never used to be allowed to come to the fair. My mom always said the lights would make me have a fit.” She screwed her nose up and tossed her hair back over her shoulders.

“So you’re making up for lost time?” Stiles allowed himself to be pushed up the steps to the tilt-a-whirl and into a car.

“Yep.” She grinned as the ride started up. They rode the tilt-a-whirl twice before wandering back to the mini roller coaster to find the others, passing several members of the lacrosse team as they walked.

“Are you glad you came back?” Stiles asked Erica as they waited at the exit of the roller coaster.

“I s’pose so.” Erica replied, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and holding it in place. “Although I think I’ll be happier about being back when Derek stops chewing us out over it all the time. It’s bad enough that my mom keeps checking my room at night to make sure I haven’t run away again.” They lapsed into silence; Stiles listening to the roller coaster rattle over head while Erica checked Facebook on her phone.

“That was awesome! Dude! You really should go on it!” Stiles looked up to see Scott bounding down the exit ramp towards him.

“No.”

“No one’s going on the roller coaster again.” Erica chimed in. “It’s time for Boyd to win me a cuddly toy.” She smirked at them, standing on tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Scott shot Stiles a grin as they walked towards the side stalls, which Stiles happily returned. Werewolf senses or not, he was pretty sure that none of the others could handle a gun all that well. Thank god for his dad and the numerous trips to the range in the name of learning to protect himself. He grabbed hold of Scott’s arm as they walked down the midway, pulling him back from the group slightly.

“Can you come over tomorrow?”

“Sure, what’s up now?”

“I need to talk to you about stuff.”

“Stuff like what we talked about the other day stuff? Stuff about...”

“Derek?!” They both looked up in surprise at the sound of Erica’s voice. Stiles glanced at Scott and gave a small nod as they caught up with the others.

“So this is why none of you have been answering your phones.” Derek hissed, half hidden behind a donut truck. “You were meant to be at the warehouse an hour ago. Pack meeting. Ringing any bells?”

“Shit.” Isaac muttered, looking at his watch. “It’s gone nine already?”

“Yes.” Derek snarled, pulling his car keys from his pocket and throwing them none too kindly at Boyd. “Get there now. You too, Scott.”

“Uh, if we’re taking your car, how are you going to get there?” Boyd asked, holding the Camaro’s keys and shaking them for emphasis.

“I need to talk to Stiles about some research he’s been doing about the alphas. He can drive me.”

“I can?” Stiles asked, scowling at Derek, trying to ignore the look Scott was giving him; all raised eyebrows and poorly hidden surprise. “What makes you think I want to drive you around the place? Driving you around town normally ends up with me getting a concussion.”

“Shut up.” Derek turned back to his betas, his eyes flashing red. “Go. Now.” He watched as they ran off in the direction of the parking lot, his eyebrows knotted together in a frown.

“You told Scott, didn’t you?” He reached out and grabbed the front of Stiles’ hoodie, pulling him into the shadows behind the food trucks, the bright lights of the midway not quite reaching them.

“No!” Stiles exclaimed. “Well, not about when I came over to your apartment, if that’s what you’re worried about. I told him about what I did that night at my house.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s my friend and I was confused and you don’t really do anything to help that confusion.” He watched Derek guardedly. “Kind of like how you’re making me really confused now, because you know I haven’t been doing any research and you’ve just lied to your little puppies and you’re...why are you looking at me like that?” He took a step back, stumbling on a cable and falling against the back of a truck.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re going to threaten me with physical violence or something. Are you mad that I talked to Scott?”

“Yes.” Derek replied, taking a step closer.

“Well I’m not going to apologise. Me and Scott talk about everything, about all my poor decisions.”

“So I’m a poor decision?”

“Probably, yes. Considering how you rudely threw me out of your apartment the other day after convincing me to kiss you and admit that I like you. That was pretty messed up and it made me kind of mad, especially now you’ve spent the last week ignoring me.” He swallowed anxiously. “But I’m still standing here thinking that you’re stupidly attractive and that I’d kiss you again if you asked me, even though I know that wouldn’t end well and that it’d just...” 

His words were cut off as Derek crowded him against the truck, kissing him roughly.

“You’re sticky.” Derek stated, pulling away from Stiles and frowning at him. “And you taste like food colouring.”

“Cotton candy.” Stiles managed to whisper before returning the kiss greedily, his comment about poor decisions all forgotten as he enjoyed the warmth of Derek’s body pressed against his. It was only when he felt Derek’s hand moving to the back of his neck that he came to his senses, and pushed him away.

“Stop it. You can’t just throw me out of your apartment one minute and then chase me down and kiss me the next and expect me to be ok with that.” He wiped his mouth angrily with the back of his hand. “Cause I’m really, really not ok with this.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so. Just because you’re good looking and you know I like you doesn’t mean to get to show up here doing whatever the hell you want with me. It’s not fair.”

“Fine. I’ll go, if that’s what you want.” Derek turned on his heel to leave.

“Does it matter what I want? You’ll just do whatever the hell you feel like.” Stiles snapped. Derek looked over his shoulder and glared at him for a moment before walking away from Stiles into the rapidly darkening woods surrounding the carnival.

“Dude, what the hell is your problem?” Stiles shouted after him before sinking down onto the ground and leaning back against the donut truck. He’d preferred it when Derek was just ignoring him instead of walking away and leaving him.


	16. Chapter 16

He read and re-read the text message several times, leaning against the side of his Jeep. It definitely still read “ _come to my place. need to talk – derek_ ” no matter how many times he looked at it. Putting his phone back in his pocket, he walked down the street , hoping that his erratic heart rate would calm down before he got to the apartment. He smiled and nodded at an elderly woman, sweeping the front step of the apartment below Derek’s. To his surprise, she muttered at him in Spanish, a terrified expression on her face as she quickly retreated into her home. He shook his head, climbing the stairs to Derek’s apartment, the door opening before he could knock.

“What’s the deal with your neighbour?” He asked Derek as he stepped inside. “I’m pretty sure she just put a curse on me or something.”

“She thinks I sell drugs.” Derek replied. “I hear her talking to someone on the phone about it all the time.”

“You know Spanish?” Stiles raised an eyebrow as he sat down. Derek nodded.

“Why does that surprise you?”

“Because I hate Spanish. It’s the one class I’m failing and my dad won’t let me drop it and take French when we start back in September instead. I don’t understand how anyone could learn that language. I don’t even get how Spanish people learn Spanish.”

“You’re failing a class?”

“Um, yeah. Look, I didn’t come to talk about failing a class or school or whatever. Why did you ask me to come over?”

“You said the other day I owe you an explanation, I wanted to give you one.”

 “OK.” He watched as Derek leant forward, his elbows on his knees, staring at the bathroom door.  “Just so I can be clear, are you explaining about when you threw me out last week or for what happened at the carnival the other night?”

“Both.” Derek muttered, making a fist and punching the palm of his other hand. He fell silent again, keeping his gaze fixed steadily on the door.

“You know, if you ask someone over and tell them that you’re going to explain things, it’s generally accepted behaviour that you actually speak to that person.” Stiles said, picking at a loose thread on the couch.

“I’m working out where to start.”

“Start with the carnival. ‘Cause I’d really like to know why you thought it was ok to kiss me again and then run off.”

“You were angry with me.” Derek shrugged. “So I left.”

“Yeah, that part I got. It was more the why did you kiss me part that I wanted an answer to.”

“You wanted me to kiss you." Derek looked over his shoulder at Stiles as if this would explain everything.

“So what if I did? I wanted to kiss you the other day and then you went and threw me out. I’m getting some seriously mixed messages here.”

“That’s not my fault.”

“What?! Yes it is! If you’d just stuck to hating me and behaving like your usual jackass self, this wouldn’t be an issue now.”

“Only because you want something I can’t give you.”

“What do you think I want from you?”

“Some sort of relationship.” Derek muttered, turning away from Stiles again.  “And I can’t do that.”

“I don’t want anything from you. I mean I get that you don’t want anything from me. No one ever does. If you just want us to be friends, or whatever we were, that’s fine. I’ll probably get over my crush or whatever before too long.”

“That’s not what I said. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t.”

“So what exactly are you saying?” Stiles asked, rubbing the back of his head. “That you like me or something?”

“Yes.” Derek snapped.

“OK. So why is that a problem? I like you, you apparently, like me. I don’t see a problem there. Is it because I’m younger than you? ‘Cause I totally don’t have a problem with that.”

“Well I do have a problem with it. Not in the way you think.” He added, glancing up at Stiles.

“So...what exactly is the problem?”

“I’m not that kind of person. I’m not going to take advantage of someone younger than me.”

“It’s not really taking advantage when I’m quite happy to hand you the advantage on a plate.” Stiles grinned, his smile faltering when Derek didn’t return it.

“That’s not really the point. It’s not going to happen between us.”

“Look, I’m not stupid. This is something to do with Kate Argent, isn’t it?” Stiles blurted out, fidgeting nervously.

“What? How do you know that I...” Derek turned on him again, his eyes wide with panic.

“Like I said, I’m not stupid. My dad talked to me about, you know, what she did. To your family. That the cops think now that she was ‘close’ to some of your family. I think I kinda figured the rest out. Did you...were you in a relationship with her?”  He heard Derek’s breath catch in his throat and moved away from him slightly, anticipating an angry response. “Is that why you’re being weird about my age and stuff?”

“Yeah, a bit.” Derek whispered at last, dropping his head into his hands, his shoulders slumped pathetically. Stiles bit his lip, shuffling closer to Derek.

“You can talk to me about it, you know. You know I wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”

“It’s not like the other stuff I’ve told you.” Derek answered, turning towards Stiles slightly. “Even Laura didn’t know about what happened with Kate.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” Derek shrugged. “But you asked for an explanation so...”

“You don’t have to tell me if you really don’t want to.” Stiles told him. Derek shook his head and reached for Stiles’ hand, lacing their fingers together. “I totally understand if you don’t.”

“I don’t think she wanted me in the first place.” Derek started. “She was in the same grade as my brother in high school. That’s how she got to know me, by hanging out with Joseph, even though our mom forbid him from seeing her because of her family. I think she wanted him really, but he wasn’t into her so she came after me instead.”

“How old were you?” Stiles asked quietly.

“Fifteen. It was right after I started sophomore year that we...got together isn’t the right term for it, ‘cause that implies I had any choice in the matter. It was never real, despite what I thought at the time. She just wanted to find out more about my family and how to get to them. I remember her not even being shocked when I told her what I am.” He snorted derisively. “I thought she was really cool at the time, being so accepting about it. Turns out she already knew so it never came as a shock to her.” He sighed, rubbing his chin.

“None of my family knew about her; it was her idea to keep it a secret, so she wouldn’t get locked up for....for having sex with a minor.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “And I just went along with it, partly because I thought I was in love with her and that I could, I don’t know, prove one day that she wasn’t like the rest of her family, and partly because she manipulated me into staying with her. I tried to end things with her once. We had this big fight one day because I’d been grounded and hadn’t seen her for a week. She just lost it, shouting and screaming about how I obviously didn’t love her enough because I hadn’t snuck out of the house to go and see her. I told her that I wasn’t sure if I did love her anymore and that I wasn’t happy and that maybe we should break up.” He untangled his hand from Stiles’, rubbing his face with both hands. “And then she told me I couldn’t end things with her because she was pregnant and it was mine.”

“Was she?” Stiles asked.

“No.” Derek shook his head furiously. “Turns out it was just another one of her lies to keep me trapped.  And then she said that she...that the baby died and how could I try and leave her after that. It was all so fucked up.” He rubbed his eyes roughly, raising an eyebrow when Stiles moved closer. “Everything was just lies and tricks, all just so she could kill my family, just to prove some point to Gerard. I just, I fucking hate her Stiles. I hate her so much.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell anyone?”

“Tell who? I couldn’t exactly tell Laura, could I? She was the only person I had left after the fire. If I’d told her, I’d have lost her as well.”

“It wasn’t your fault though.” Stiles reached out tentatively, putting his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “It was all on her. She was an evil, manipulative sociopath. And you know, I don’t normally agree with anything Peter does, ever, but she deserved what she got.”

“Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. I wouldn’t normally say that people deserve to be dead, but she definitely does.” He ran his hand up and down Derek’s back.

“Just wish that her being dead made the way I feel about everything go away.” Derek said quietly. “Every time I think something’s going my way for once, it sneaks back in and fucks everything up.”

“Only because you let it.” Stiles muttered. “I don’t mean that in a bad way,” he added when Derek glared at him. “I just kinda get the impression that you don’t think you deserve to be happy because you think it’s your fault for what she did, right?”

“But I brought her to our house, told her about us.”

“You said she already knew that you’re a werewolf. Even if you hadn’t told her, she would have known. Gerard would have told her.” He put his arm around Derek’s shoulder, pulling him closer. He took a deep breath and asked the question that had been bothering him since Derek had started talking. “Do you think you’re like her because you like me?”

Derek nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“Well you’re not. She didn’t do what she did because she was older than you, she did it because she was a psycho.” He bit his lip nervously. “And anyway, it’s not just the age stuff. ‘Cause you know what, I actually like you. Not just because you’re absurdly attractive, but because of who you are. I don’t want to be with you or whatever to hurt you and I’m pretty sure that even if you did actually want to be with me, it wouldn’t be so you could hurt me, even though you do have this annoying tendency to push me around and threaten me with physical violence. So, whatever. I’m probably talking way too much now and just making things more confused,”

“Some of it almost made sense.” Derek muttered.

“I do that sometimes. I’m going to just say what’ I’m thinking right now, and you’ll just have to deal with it, because trust me, saying this out loud is making me feel like a massive dork.” He grinned awkwardly. “If you just want to be friends with me, or not-friends or whatever we were, that’s fine, I get it and I’ll move on and stuff. But I’d kinda like it if something more did happen between us, ‘cause like I already told you several million times, I like you. So, you know, it’s your call.”

“Stiles...”

“What? I’m just giving you all the options! I just want you to be happy and stuff. ‘Cause you deserve to be happy, you deserve it even more than most people. And whatever, if it’s not me that makes you happy, that’s fine. Just as long as you are. That’s all that I really care about right now.”

Derek sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

“I don’t know what I want.” He admitted after a long pause. “I know you want me to make a choice right now, but I can’t.”

“I don’t want...”

“Stiles.”

“Yeah, all right. I don’t like not knowing stuff!” He reluctantly pulled his arm away from Derek’s shoulders, and nudged him. “Want me to go away and give you some space?”

Derek nodded, flashing him an apologetic look.

“Sorry.”

“S’ok. Could you just promise not to ignore me for a week and then hunt me down at a carnival if you do want to talk to me though?”

“No carnivals. Got it.”

Stiles laughed happily, patting Derek on the shoulder as he left the apartment.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all the lovely people who've left comments, you're the bestest! :] xx

“ _Stiles, you’ve got to come. He’s meeting up with Allison, I don’t want to be a third wheel!_ ”

Stiles pulled his phone away from his ear and made a face.

“I’ve been playing third wheel to you and Scott since school let out. Why should I come and save your ass now?”

“ _Because Scott wants you too as well._ ”

“No he doesn’t. Scott wants to follow Allison around and forget the rest of the world exists.”

“ _Fine. I’ll buy you Taco Bell if you come_.”

“So am I meeting you there or...?”

**. o o o ,**

“Can we get  my Taco Bell now?” Stiles pouted, kicking Scott in the leg; he was sitting on the back of a bench, his feet resting on the seat and was very, very bored. He noticed a mall security guard walking in their direction and hopped down from the back of the bench to stand innocently beside it.

“I’m not eating fake Mexican. It’s offensive.” Scott replied. “And no one else wants Taco Bell.”

“Isaac promised me Taco Bell.” Stiles pulled a sad face. “As compensation for saving him from your little love fest.”

“It isn’t a love fest.” Allison said, looking up from her phone. “I’m meeting Lydia. I just wanted to say hi to Scott first.”

“Well I still want a burrito. You could at least walk with me to the food court so I don’t look like a complete loser.”

“But I’m meeting Lydia here.” Allison looked up at him, smiling sweetly. “She’ll be here soon. If you wait here with me, you can say hi to Lydia and then go get your Taco Bell.”

Stiles made an exasperated noise, pointedly sitting down on the tiled floor, leaning back against the railing.

“She better hurry up. I don’t want to starve to death just so you don’t have to sit here by yourself.”

“Are you coming to the lake tomorrow?” Isaac asked, looking over at Stiles as Scott and Allison drifted back into a whispered conversation, their heads close together.

“Coming to the lake? Why?”

“To go swimming, you idiot. It’s Erica’s idea, not mine. I think she’s really getting in to this whole pack outings thing.” Isaac shoved his hands in his pockets, scuffing his shoe against the floor.

“Hmm. Go to the lake and get showed up by a bunch of werewolves ‘cause I can’t swim as well as them. So tempting.” Stiles replied sarcastically. “It’s probably all just some elaborate prank, right? Erica probably just wants to drown me for calling her a nerd the other day.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it. You’ve seen through her grand plans.” Isaac said, rolling his eyes. “We’re planning on killing you and hiding your body. That way we’ll get some peace and quiet.”

Stiles laughed, pulling off his sneaker and unthreading the lace to give himself something to do.

“I’d just come back and haunt her.” He grinned. “I bet I’d be even more annoying as a ghost.”

“You? More annoying?” He looked up to see Derek standing nearby, and felt his heart beat speed up slightly. He hadn’t seen Derek since leaving his apartment four days ago and fiddled nervously with his shoe lace, unsure of what to say to him. He noticed Derek watching Allison warily, as though he was expecting her to attack him at any moment.

“Want to come to the lake with us tomorrow?” Isaac asked him. “It could be a pack bonding thing!”

“No.” Derek answered abruptly as he tried to wedge something in his pocket. The shiny blue plastic bag caught Stiles’ attention, and he scrambled to his feet, his shoeless foot slipping on the tiles as he approached Derek.

“Oh my god, you’re the one!” Stiles teased, grabbing the carrier bag from Derek’s hand. “You’re the one single handedly keeping the CD market afloat. You know you can get music free on the internet, right?” He grinned as Derek snatched the bag back from him.

“I don’t have internet.”

“What are you buying anyway?” Stiles tried to grab the bag from him again, only to have his hand roughly swatted away.

“Just a CD.”

“Well, duh. That goes without saying. What CD.”

Derek rolled his eyes and handed the bag to Stiles to look in, drawing surprised looks for Scott and Isaac.

“Gaslight Anthem? Never heard of them.” Stiles replied, handing the CD back to Derek.

“Shocker.” Derek looked him up and down, his expression unreadable. “Why are you only wearing one shoe?”

“I was bored and the laces looked wrong.” Stiles muttered, feeling stupid. He watched as Derek frowned at them all before turning and walking away, shaking his head as he went. Stiles twisted his shoelace around his finger, pulling it tight and watching Derek as he disappeared from sight.

“Why is Stiles only wearing one shoe?” He spun around to see Lydia standing near Allison, looking at Stiles as though he was stupid.

“Because he’s Stiles.” Scott answered, picking up Stiles’ sneaker and throwing it to him.  “Put your shoe back on, we’ll go get your horrible fake Mexican food now if you want.”

“Yeah, OK.” Stiles muttered, bending down and pulling his sneaker back on and shoving the lace in his pocket. Seeing Derek had thrown him for a loop and killed his appetite and for once, the thought of eating Taco Bell was completely unappealing. He followed Isaac and Scott to the elevators, not paying any attention to their idle chatter as he thought about how stupid he must have looked to Derek.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Stiles clambered up onto the hood of his jeep to sit beside Scott. They were waiting for Boyd, Erica and Isaac to meet them at the lake.

“What was with you and Derek yesterday?” Scott asked. “You two were being really weird with each other.”

“What was up with me? It was all Derek being weird, not me.”

“Have you kissed him again or something?”

“Maybe.” Stiles blushed, looking away from Scott. “I went to talk to him that time, you know, after you were all at my house, and we sorted of kissed again. Stuff’s been weird since then. I think he might be pissed off with me, but I don’t know why. I don’t think I’ve done anything to piss him off recently.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not pissing him off.” Scott grinned. “Those weren’t pissed off looks he was giving you yesterday.”

“Well what kind of looks were they?”

“More like he was pining for you or something.”

“Like the looks you give Allison you mean?”

“Shut up. I’m allowed to pine for Allison, we split up and I still love her. You kissed Derek twice. People aren’t allowed to pine for two kisses.”

“I’m pretty sure Derek wasn’t pining. I was probably just annoying him again.” Stiles sighed. “It sucks dude, I think I really like him.”

“Weirdo.”

“That’s why you love me.” Stiles grinned, bumping Scott’s shoulder with his. “I’m serious though. Why do I always fall for people who are completely out of my league and want nothing to do with me? It’s like Lydia all over again.” He watched as Scott sat up straighter, listening to something.

“That sounds like Erica’s car. Want me to come over yours later so we can talk?”

“You’re the bestest.” Stiles grinned, looking around at the deserted lake. “Why is it so quiet here? It was stupid busy last summer.”

“Would you want to go swimming where someone got drowned?” Scott asked. “No one else knows what Matt did, just that he drowned here. They probably think it’s weird.” He jumped down from the hood of Jeep beckoning for Stiles to do the same.

**. o o o .**

“I knew you brought me here to try and kill me!” Stiles complained as he pulled himself back onto the floating dock, narrowing his eyes at Erica who was lying back on the weathered wood, pretending to sunbathe as though she hadn’t just pushed Stiles into the lake.

“Oh shut up, it was funny. You just looked so peaceful and relaxed. It was unnerving.”

“You didn’t have to push me in.”

“Yes I did.”

“Didn’t not.”

“Why are you bothering me?” Erica asked, closing her eyes again. “Go and do boy things with the other silly boys.”

“So your lovely boyfriend can try and drown me again? No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him. Stiles glared back at her, noticing the smirk she gave him when she caught the brief glance he gave her breasts; her small bikini top revealing more than Stiles was entirely comfortable with. “I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that.” She teased. “I know who you’re really in to.”

“No you don’t.”

“Want a bet? You’re so obvious, Stiles.”

“Am not.” Stiles crossed his arms and looked away, watching as in the distance, Scott and Boyd prepared to jump off a rocky outcrop.

“Well if it’s any consolation, he’s just an obvious as you.” Erica laughed.

“Who is?” He looked back at her and scowled.

“Don’t be cute. You know who.”

“Whatever.”

“He turned up at the warehouse last week smelling of you. And Isaac told us about you guys seeing him at the mall yesterday, that he was weird.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah right.

“You know he’s nearby, right?” She leant closer to him, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I can smell him.”

“And? What am I supposed to do about that? He’s probably here to yell at you lot again for daring to have fun without his alpha permission or something.”

“Go wait by your stupid truck if you don’t believe me.” Erica replied, pushing him away with her foot. “He’s gonna show up sooner or later.”

“You’re just trying to get rid of me.”

“That too.” She grinned, getting to her feet and stretching. “You’re boring me now. I’m going to go jump off rocks with the cool people.”

Stiles glared at her as she dived into the water, swimming away in the direction of the others. He sat resolutely on the floating dock for several minutes, mulling over Erica’s words. When he thought he’d waited long enough to look like he wasn’t acting on what she’d told him, he slipped into the water, swimming back towards the shore where the cars were parked so he could check his phone, and totally not to and wait to see if Derek showed up.

**. o o o .**

“I thought people came to the lake to swim.” Stiles looked up from his phone, a little ripple of pleasure going through him when he saw Derek standing close to the Jeep; he wasn’t wearing his leather jacket for once and Stiles couldn’t help but notice that he looked thoroughly uncomfortable for it. Not that Stiles could really comment on people feeling uncomfortable; he was suddenly very aware that he was wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts rather than his usual layers of t-shirts and hoodies.

“That and drown people.” He grinned stupidly, folding his arms across his chest protectively, convinced his shirtlessness would repulse Derek. “Or at least that’s why Gerard came here. And possibly Erica and Boyd. They’ve both tried to drown me this afternoon.”

“Right.”

“Don’t say right, like it’s completely normal for people to want to drown me!” Stiles pouted. “I mean, I know you probably do, ‘cause if you drowned me, you’d get some peace and quiet and no more me throwing myself at you and trying to kiss you and stuff.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“You know.”

“I didn’t say anything! It’s just you said you didn’t know what you want and that we’d talk but we still haven’t and you were weird when we saw you at the mall yesterday.”

“You only had one shoe on.”

“So?”

“Don’t say so like completely normal to be in the mall with your shoe off.” Derek said, smirking a little as he echoed Stiles’ earlier words.

“It’s normal for me. Why are you here anyway?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“OK...” Stiles frowned.

“I want to talk to you, but not now.” He looked across the lake to where the others were still taking it in turns to jump off the rocks.

“Can they hear you from here?” Stiles asked.

“No.” Derek replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I’d rather talk to you on your own though. Come by mine later?”

“What time?”

“Does it matter? I’m not going anywhere. Just come by, ok?”  Stiles nodded dumbly as Derek disappeared back into the woods.

**. o o o .**

“Why are you sulking by your car?” Scott asked, dripping water all over Stiles.

“I’m not sulking. I just got bored.” He yawned and stretched, patting the grass beside him to indicate that Scott should sit down. “Can you get a ride back with Erica?”

“Probably, why?”

Stiles glanced up to see where the others were, spotting them on the floating dock in the middle of the lake.

“Can’t say it out loud.” He muttered, pulling his phone out of his pocket, opening a new text message and typing quickly. He passed the phone to Scott, watching him as he read.

“You’re going to see...”

“Shh! I just said I can’t say it out loud! I don’t want that lot hearing!” He jerked his thumb towards the lake for emphasis.

“Why does he want to see you?”

“Thanks, thanks for that. Why would anyone as hot as Derek want to see me, right?”

“Dude, that’s not what I meant.”

“No idea.” Stiles shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Can’t you go later, once you’ve given me a ride home?”

“Erica’s going to be driving past your place anyway if she’s giving Isaac a ride.” Stiles pointed out, feeling slightly annoyed with Scott. “And I kinda want to go now and get it over with. If I sit here much longer, I’m going to go crazy.”

“I can’t believe you’re ditching me.” Scott said, pulling a sad face. “You’re the one that kept complaining that we don’t do enough stuff together anymore.”

“Oh shut up. You used to ditch me all the time for Allison.” Stiles replied. “I’ll make it up to you, you know, once I get over the inevitable humiliation and rejection that’s bound to occur.”

“Come over later if you need to talk, yeah?” Scott said as he stood up, squeezing Stiles’ shoulder briefly. “Don’t forget though dude, bro’s before ho’s!”

“Shut up!” Stiles called after Scott as he ran back towards the lake. He shook his head and got to his feet, climbing into his Jeep, a feeling of trepidation creeping over him as he pulled away from the lake and back onto the road.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Stiles pulled into the parking lot opposite Derek’s apartment, pleased to see the Camaro parked there, suggesting that Derek was in. He looked at it as he walked back across the road, wondering for the first time how it didn’t get stolen or vandalised more often being parked up in such a bad neighbourhood. He could only assume it was because people realised Derek owned it and people were generally scared of Derek.

Derek opened the door before he could knock, his expression blank as he stood aside to let Stiles in.

“I didn’t think you’d be here until later.”

“I figured it’d be better to get the embarrassing rejection over sooner rather than later.” Stiles muttered, sitting down on the couch.

“Who said anything about rejection?”

“My brain? It’s sort of par for the course for me. Like someone, get rejected by said someone, lather, rinse, repeat.”

“That’s really annoying, you know.” Derek replied, sitting down beside him but maintaining a careful distance.

“What is? The way I get rejected all the time? Tell me about it!”

“No, the way you keeping putting yourself down.”

“I can’t help it. I’m very well practiced in being rejected and the crippling insecurity and self doubt that comes along with that.”

“Are you going to let me talk or are you just going to keep making stupid assumptions?”

“You’re not saying anything though!”

“I would if you’d shut up for a minute.”

“Fine, shutting up now. Say words.”

“You’re very irritating Stiles.” Derek said; Stiles wasn’t quite sure if he was being serious or not so kept quiet. “Just to make it clear, so you’ll stay quiet, I didn’t ask you to come over just so I could ‘reject’ you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Be quiet. Look, you know I like you, I just don’t know what to do about this. Us.”

“So, you want to do something?” Stiles asked hopefully, forgetting that he was meant to be being quiet.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I saw you in the mall....”

“I downloaded that album you bought.” Stiles interrupted. “It’s really good.”

“Does be quiet mean nothing to you? I was going to say that I realised that even though you’re one of the weirdest people I know and you annoy the hell out of me half the time, I don’t want to be just friends with you.”

“I’m not weird.”

“You were in the middle of the mall with your shoe off.”

“Why does everyone keep focusing on that? It wasn’t like I was walking around like that, we were waiting for Lydia and I was bored.”

“That’s weird. Look, I’m trying to tell you that I do want to give this a chance but there’s so reasons why we shouldn’t.”

“What reasons?”

“Well for a start you’re only sixteen.”

“It’s not that long ‘til my birthday.” Stiles folded his arms and leant back on the couch. “When I’ll be seventeen.”

“You’ll still be six years younger than me.”

“I already told you that I don’t care about that.”

“Nor do I particularly, but other people might.”

“I don’t care what other people think either.” Stiles pouted. For a “not rejecting you” conversation, this certainly sounded like Derek was trying to reject him.

“Yeah? What about your dad? Who’s already arrested me before?”

“He wouldn’t arrest you. He’s not that bad.”

“Stiles, he’s the sheriff. He’d have to arrest me if he thought we were...doing anything.”

“I’ll worry about my dad. Seriously? You’re going with ‘the law’ as an excuse?”

“It’s not an excuse. It’s a legitimate concern.”

“You said several reasons. What else is the problem?”

“You scare the hell out of me.” Derek admitted, looking down at his feet.

“What?” Stiles laughed. “I scare you? Dude, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re a werewolf. You could literally rip my arms off if you wanted to. How the hell can I scare you?”

“Because you’re too easy to talk to; I’ve told you stuff that I’ve never told anyone else before when I didn’t even want to tell you; you just seem to be able to make me admit all this stuff and it’s terrifying. And I’ve seen you when you’re angry at people. And I probably shouldn’t say this in case you try it, but I think you could completely destroy me if you wanted to.”

“I’m only nasty to people who deserve it.” Stiles asked, sounding hurt. “Do you really think I’d ever do that to you?”

“Probably not, but it doesn’t mean you don’t scare me.”

“What else?”

“What do you mean, what else?”

“What other reasons are there for not being with me?” Stiles demanded, Derek rolled his eyes.

“I’ve never had a proper relationship before.”

“What never?”

“No.” Derek rubbed his eyes and sighed. “The whole thing with _her_ kind of put me off.”

“That’s kind of understandable, I guess. But it’s not like I’m in any position to judge you based on the number of relationships you have or haven’t had, ‘cause my sum total of relationship related stuff is kissing three other people besides you.”

“Which is exactly why this –“ Derek gestured from himself to Stiles “ – shouldn’t happen.”

“That’s stupid.”

“No it’s not. I don’t get how to do relationships. You should be with someone who isn’t broken, who isn’t going to mess you up.”

“Dude, you’re not broken. Are you just going to avoid any sort of relationship for the rest of your life in case you mess someone else up?” Stiles twisted slightly on the couch until he was facing Derek and reached out for him, resting hand lightly on his upper arm.

“If I have to.” Derek said quietly.

“That’s really sad.” Stiles replied. Derek shrugged and looked away from him for a minute as though he were thinking of something to say. Stiles fidgeted nervously, chewing on his fingernail to stop himself for chattering inanely.

“So, have you finished making excuses now?” He asked, moving a little closer when Derek finally turned back to look at him.

“It’s not excuses.” Derek replied, a little uncertainly. “I’m actually worried about this stuff.”

 “Sounds like excuses to me.”

“That’s because I’m not telling you what you want to hear.”

“You were before. Let’s go back to the part where you say things I like.” Stiles grinned. “Like the part where you said before that you do want something to happen between us.”

“What about all the parts I said where it’s not a good idea?”

“I didn’t like those parts. We should totally forget those parts. Because, dude, your reasons are pretty weak sauce. You really should just admit defeat now.”

“Is that right?” Derek asked, flashing him a brief smile. Stiles swallowed nervously and nodded, shifting his weight slightly so his shoulder was pressed against Derek’s.

“Totally.” He whispered, licking his dry lips nervously as Derek moved closer to him, twisting his upper body until he was facing him. Stiles shivered a little as Derek slipped his hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him gently. It felt a little awkward to Stiles, mostly because he couldn’t seem to stop smiling stupidly. He broke their kiss briefly to shuffle into a more comfortable position, opening his eyes to see Derek looking at him nervously, his lips slightly parted and a pale blush on his cheeks. Stiles smiled shyly before leaning forward and kissing Derek again, stupid smiles forgotten as Derek allowed himself to pushed back against the couch cushions.

“You’re sure?” He asked when he finally pulled away from Stiles. “I’m hard work.”

“Dude, have you even met me? I’m even harder work.” Stiles grinned back, reaching for Derek’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “Of course I’m sure. That’s like asking if I’m sure Jackson’s a tool, or that I’m sure school is designed to suck all the happiness out of my life, like I’m sure...” He trailed off when he realised his analogy had run away with him and Derek was giving him an amused look. “So, is this like a thing now? Me and you?”

“I guess so.”Derek replied, looking down at their hands and blushing faintly.

“Awesome!” Stiles exclaimed, closing the gap between them again and kissing Derek happily.

“Awesome? That’s what you’re going with?” Derek pulled a face, playfully pushing Stiles away from him.

“Yes. Awesome. Get used to it!” He tightened his grip on Derek’s hand and smiling when Derek let himself be pulled into another kiss, all traces of the earlier awkwardness Stiles had felt disappearing as Derek slipped his tongue into his mouth and the rest of the world ceased to exist.

 


	20. Chapter 20

“Dude, wake up!” Stiles pulled his head from underneath his pillow and opened one eye. Scott was standing next to his bed grinning down at him.

“Why are you here? What time is it?”

“It’s nearly noon and your dad let me in on his way out. Come on, get up.”

“I don’t want to.” Stiles muttered, trying to pull his comforter up and over his head.”I was having an awesome dream and you ruined it.”

“Yeah, dude, I can smell exactly what kind of ‘awesome dream’ you were having. You might want to take a shower.”

“You’re disgusting. Don’t even pretend you’ve never had that happen after a sex dream.” Stiles replied unashamedly and rolled onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows, frowning sleepily at Scott.

“Whatever. Go take a shower.”

“Why?”

“Why do you have to take a shower? Because no one wants to smell _that_.”

“Not why do I have to shower, you tool. Why are you making me?”

“So you can come hang out with me!” Scott turned and headed towards his bedroom door. “Ten minutes dude, or I’m going to come back up and drag you out of bed.  I don’t care what you’re covered in or what you smell like.”

“I officially hate you.” Stiles rolled over on to his front again, groaning into his pillow.

“Whatever!” Scott’s voice floated up the stairs. “Just get out of your disgusting bed and take a shower!”

**. o o o .**

“You want to go hang out in the woods?” Stiles rolled his eyes at Scott as he climbed into his Jeep. “Don’t you do enough hanging out in the woods when you’re busy being all wolfed out?”

“We don’t have to go to the woods. It was just idea.”

“Yeah well it was a crummy one.” Stiles grinned, slamming the driver’s side door. “I can think of about a hundred things I’d rather do today than walk around the woods.”

 “Like what, wallow in your bed and jerk off?”

“I was not jerking off! And no, not that.”

“What then? Why do you look so weirdly pleased with yourself?”

“No reason.” Stiles grinned stupidly out of the window.

“Yeah right. Spill!”

“Standard no speakies to Isaac rule applies to this, OK?” Stiles turned in his seat to face Scott, who held his hand up, scout’s honour style.

“This is going to be Derek related, isn’t it?”

“Oh hell yes.” Stiles grinned again.

“He didn’t blow you off yesterday then?”

“Nope.”

“I’m not sure I want to know.” Scott pulled a face.

“Well tough luck, you asked, you get. It was good. There was no rejecting of Stiles for a start. There was kissing though. Lots of kissing.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to think about you kissing Derek.”

“Oh shut up and be happy for me. You told me all about you kissing Allison. In fact, you told me all about you doing lots of stuff with Allison. Lots of stuff I’m pretty sure Allison wouldn’t want me to know.”

“Dude, I would be happy for you, but didn’t you kiss him the other week? And then he wouldn’t speak to you for ages? And you sulked and probably cried yourself to sleep.”

“I did not cry about it and this wasn’t like that. We talked about stuff properly.” He batted at his keys absent mindedly. “We’re kind of seeing each or something I guess.

“So what are you saying?” Scott asked, frowning. “That’s he’s your boyfriend now?”

“No! We only talked about stuff yesterday. It’s not like some serious thing yet. Why aren’t you being happy for me?”

“Dude, I totally want to, ‘cause I know you like him for some weird reason, but well, he’s still Derek at the end of the day. He’s much older than us, and he sort of lives in a train. What’s your dad going to do when he finds out?”

“Stop saying depressing things. Be happy for me instead.”

“Stiles, I’m being serious. You were all worried about me when I got with Allison because of her family. I’m repaying the favour.”

“He’s not like you think he is, you know.” Stiles replied, feeling a little sad when the thought about the impression all of his friends had of Derek; that he was nothing more than their scary, glowering alpha. “I mean I get that he comes across as pretty scary to most people, but he’s really, really not when you actually talk to him.”

“He slammed your head against the wheel of your Jeep.” Scott pointed out.

“Once. Like a million years ago.” Stiles frowned, running his hand over the steering wheel. “If you’re not going to be happy for me, I’m not going to talk to you about this anymore.”

“I am happy for you. I just don’t want him to hurt you. You know, emotionally or whatever.”

“He won’t.”

“If you say so. When are you going to tell your dad?”

“Never?” Stiles grinned, rolling his eyes when Scott gave him his Serious Look. “I’ll tell him sometime, I guess. But it’s not just telling him about Derek, is it? It’s telling him I’m into guys as well.”

“Tell him about guys first. Guarantee he’ll take that one better.” Scott teased. “Come on, I don’t want to sit on your driveway all day.”

Stiles rolled his eyes again and started the car, tuning out the sound of Scott chattering about Allison. He sped down the road leading past the junior high school and out of town, growing more and more annoyed as Scott continued to talk aimlessly about the wonder that was Allison.

“Why is it,” Stiles, flicking off the radio, “that you can talk about Allison, who you’ve broken up with, I might add, for half an hour straight, but I’m not allowed to talk about Derek for more than a few minutes?”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t talk about Derek!” Scott replied, looking surprised at Stiles’ sudden anger. “It’s just weird. I mean, it’s Derek.”

“Stop saying ‘it’s Derek’ like that explains everything.” Stiles said, turning left sharply onto a narrower road. “Just because he’s your alpha and stuff now and has to be a certain way with all you guys doesn’t mean that’s actually what he’s like. He was nice to me when my dad kicked me out; remember? When you fucked off to Oregon with Isaac and didn’t bother telling me? And he talks to me about stuff, like he can trust me, and I like that, ‘cause it feels like the rest of you still keep me out of the loop of your stupid wolf stuff. Like how your mom had to tell me that Isaac was moving in to your house because you couldn’t be bothered to do it yourself.” He accelerated, the Jeep shaking as he hit a pot hole, noticing the hurt look on Scott’s face out of the corner of his eye as he checked the rear view mirror.

“I’m not trying to rag on him or anything.” Scott replied. He pushed his hair back from his face, watching anxiously as Stiles stared angrily at the road in front of them. “Pull over.”

“I don’t want to pull over.”

“Dude, just pull over, just for a minute. You look like you’re going to slam us in to a tree any second.” Stiles scowled, pressing his foot down hard on the gas pedal for a second to prove some kind of point before sighed loudly and pulling over at the side of the road and killing the engine. “I’m not trying to put Derek down, you know.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Well I’m not. It’s just, I know what it’s like when you first get with someone. Like with Allison, it was great but a little bit of me kept thinking to myself that any day she was going to realise she’d made a mistake and end things, and it freaked me out.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“You kind of get obsessed about stuff, dude, stuff and people. And you’ve freaked out about Derek stuff before, right? Like you think you’re not good enough for him or something? I just think he could really hurt you, even if he didn’t mean to and I don’t wanna see you get hurt, especially not by Derek.”

“Stop making me sound like such a loser. I’m not going to have some kind of breakdown if things don’t work out. And he isn’t going to hurt me.”

“Yeah well, if he does, he’ll have to deal with me.” Scott folded his arms, a serious expression on his face. Stiles stared at him incredulously for a moment before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“I get it, OK. Don’t do your serious face at me! You look ridiculous.” He started the car again. “Do you think you could just be a tiny bit happy for me? Like 35% happy or so? It’s not like I can tell anyone else about this, is it?”

“Fine. But I’m serious, if he hurts you, he’s dead.”

 

**. o o o .**

“Had a good day son?”

“Huh?” Stiles looked up, his dad’s voice shaking him out of his day dreaming,

“I asked if you had a good day.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Stiles replied, continuing pushing his peas around his plate; he wanted to talk to his dad about the conversation he’d had with Scott, admittedly leaving out anything vaguely Derek related but didn’t know how to start. 

“You guess? What did you guys get up to?”

“Just drove around mostly.” Stiles pushed his plate away across the table. “Went and said hey to Allison. You know, same old, same old.”

“Did you eat already?” His dad asked, frowning at the unfinished food.

“No.” Stiles replied, resignedly pulling the plate back towards him. “I can’t help that I’m not hungry, you know.”

“I know that, son. That doesn’t mean you should go without eating though.”

“If you let me come off the tablets for the summer, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now.” Stiles pointedly started stabbing one pea at a time with his fork, chewing them slowly.

“Eat your peas properly and we can discuss it later.” His dad smiled, tapping his fork on the edge of Stiles’ plate.

“Hey dad, can we talk about something else as well when we talk about the tablets?” Stiles ventured.

“Of course. Everything ok?”

Stiles nodded, his mouth full of food.

“Just got something else I want to tell you.” He swallowed nervously. Before his dad could reply, the phone in the hall way started ringing. Stiles sighed to himself as he heard his dad talking quietly, the words ‘be there in fifteen’ and ‘not to worry’ floating through to the kitchen.

“I’m really sorry Stiles, I’ve got to...”

“Go in to the station? Yeah, I heard.”

“I’m sorry. Hey, I’ll be home early tomorrow morning, we can talk then? Sound OK?”

“Sure.” Stiles shrugged, frowning as his dad kissed him on top of the head as he passed his chair. “It’s not all that important.” He pushed his plate away again, no longer interested in eating unwanted peas and wandered up to his bedroom, flopping face down on his bed and listening as his dad got ready to leave for work, wondering if he’d ever work up the nerve to come out to him, or horror of horrors, tell him about Derek.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who's an idiot who managed to upload some WIP on the bottom of a chapter?! That's right, it's me. I'm the idiot. :{ 
> 
> Sorry folks!

“I’m not sure about this.” Derek complained, standing in the doorway.

“Would you stop being stupid and sit down? My dad won’t be back until tomorrow morning. And it’s not like you’ve never been here before.” Stiles glared at him from the couch. “For example, you were here like four and a half weeks ago. Remember? When I threw myself at you like the sad, desperate little person I am.”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Derek suggested, reluctantly sitting down beside Stiles. “You could come over to my apartment if your dad is working all night. He wouldn’t know.”

“No offence, ‘cause hanging out in your apartment and making out with you is pretty damn awesome, but there’s TV and internet and actual food in the fridge here.” He wriggled closer to Derek, leaning against him. “And it’ll be kinda nice to make out on a different couch for a change.”

“That bit doesn’t sound so bad.” Derek admitted, twisting slightly so he could kiss Stiles.

Some twenty minutes later, Stiles pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck. Derek caught hold of his t-shirt, trying to pull him back in.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this,” Stiles told him, shuffling back slightly, “but I’m at risk developing of permanent neck damage from twisting around on this couch.”

“Oh.”

“So, uh, I’ve got a very nice bed upstairs...” Stiles grinned apprehensively, his hand on Derek’s knee.

“Is that really a good idea?”

“Well we can always just sit here and not make out if that’s what you want.” Stiles turned his attention back to the TV, tracing small circles on Derek’s knee with his finger tip.

“Fine by me.” Derek replied, stretching his legs out in front of him and resting one arm along the back of the couch. Stiles frowned at him, making a pathetic whining noise and tugging on Derek’s t-shirt to try and get him to move.

“Please.”

“You said you wanted to watch a movie.” Derek smiled, pushing Stiles’ hand away.

“I’ve seen this movie loads of times before.”

“I haven’t.”

“I’ve got a TV in my bedroom.”

“Will you stop talking if we go upstairs?” Derek sighed. Stiles nodded at him, grinning hugely. “You’re too persistent.”

“No I’m not.” Stiles replied, grabbing the DVD and wandering from the room. “You just give up to easily. Probably because you don’t really want to sit down here watching a DVD all evening and would much rather be upstairs with me.”

“I wouldn’t mind just watching a movie.” Derek told him as he followed him up the stairs.

“You’re such a liar.” Stiles grinned, pushing open his bedroom door. “Stop hovering.” He added when he saw Derek standing uncomfortably in the doorway again. 

“I’m not hovering.” Derek stepped into the room, perching on the end of Stiles’ bed. “I haven’t been in here since we...” he trailed off.

“Well all the more reason to be in here then.” Stiles gave him a wicked grin and waggled his eyebrows as he leant back against the headboard. He stretched his leg out and poked Derek in the back. ”Are you going to sit there all night?” Derek frowned at him briefly before moving up the bed to sit awkwardly next to him, his shoulder not quite touching Stiles’.

“Would you please just relax?” Stiles sighed. “My dad isn’t going to suddenly burst in here and arrest you!” He moved closer and pressed a kiss against Derek’s shoulder, as if to prove a point.

“See, this is why I didn’t want to come upstairs.” Derek murmured ten minutes later, tilting his head back further as Stiles kissed his neck. “You’re too distracting.”

“The movie was boring.” Stiles told him, grazing his throat with his teeth, smiling when he shivered. “And you don’t really seem to be that upset.” Derek said nothing, sliding his hand up the back of Stiles’ t-shirt and pulling him closer.

“Don’t mind being distracted.” Derek replied, rolling on to his back, dragging Stiles on top of him and kissing him. He moaned quietly as Stiles bit his lower lip, feeling slightly unsettled by how confident Stiles seemed when he was kissing him.

After a while, Stiles rolled to one side, resting his head on Derek’s shoulder, one arm draped across his chest. Derek smiled into Stiles’ hair, watching as he rubbed his jaw.

“Your stupid sexy beard gave me stubble rash.” Stiles complained, poking Derek’s chin.

“Stop that.” Derek batted his hand away. “You’re the one that was getting over enthusiastic.”

“Didn’t hear you complaining.” Stiles grinned, nudging Derek’s head up and kissing his neck again. He listened happily to the quiet moans Derek was apparently trying to stifle, running his hand down Derek’s chest and stomach, toying with the hem of his t-shirt.

“What are you doing now?” Derek asked softly, running his fingers through Stiles’ close cropped hair.

“Nothing.” Stiles slipped his fingers beneath Derek’s shirt, his fingertips lightly tracing the edges of Derek’s abs. “Your body is actually ridiculous, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Derek shivered slightly.

“Look at you.” Stiles pushed Derek’s t-shirt up slightly to emphasis his point. “Is having abs like yours a werewolf skill?”

“No, I work out, idiot.” Derek tried to pull his shirt back down and kissed the side of Stiles’ head. “Why are you making that face?”

“Just thinking.” Stiles replied, letting his hand come to rest on Derek’s stomach. “I guess I just kind of don’t get why you’re here with me right now.”

“Because I like you.”

“Yeah but I don’t get why.” Stiles mumbled into Derek’s chest. “I mean, you’re crazy ripped and your eyes are an insane colour and you make stubble look sexy, not like someone who’s just forgotten to shave. You’re like textbook attractive.”

“I can read and write too.” Derek muttered, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant. I just don’t get why someone like you is with someone like me. You could do a lot better than me. ‘Cause I’m skinny and kind of weird looking and I act like a complete idiot most of the time.”

“Finished?” Derek asked, rolling onto his side so he could look at Stiles properly.

“Yeah, I think I covered all bases.” Stiles replied, avoiding Derek’s gaze.

“Good. Now shut up and stop putting yourself down. I’m here because I want to be, because I like you. Happy?”

“I s’pose.” Stiles glanced up to see Derek watching him intently, a hint of a smile flickering across his lips. Before he could say anything else, Derek closed the gap between them and kissed him, his free hand moving to his hip. Stiles slid his hand under Derek’s shirt again, returning the kiss hungrily. 

Derek bit his lip as Stiles tipped his head back, exposing his neck to him and pulled the neck of his t-shirt down, sucking hard on the pale skin of Stiles collarbone, inhaling as he did so.

“Did you just smell me?” Stiles asked, dragging his fingernails across Derek’s stomach.

“Maybe.” Derek replied, taking another deep breath and tightening his grip of Stiles’ hip. Stiles whimpered quietly, wriggling slightly until he was able to kiss Derek. He allowed himself to be pulled closer, pushing one leg between Derek’s.

Derek tried to pull away briefly, starting to feel unnerved by the urgency of Stiles’ kisses, relenting as Stiles’ worked his hand up and into his hair, stopping him from moving. Stiles apparently didn’t notice Derek’s hesitation, continuing to kiss him enthusiastically. He finally let go of Derek’s hair, running his hand down his side and under his shirt again. Derek flinched slightly as Stiles ran his finger across his hip and stomach, dipping just below the waistband of his jeans.

“We can if you want to.” Stiles said breathily as he pulled, his hands still on the waistband of Derek’s jeans. He toyed with the button of his flies as he watched him expectantly.

“Can what?” Derek asked, confused.

“Have sex.” Stiles replied, his voice hitching slightly. “If that’s what you want.”

“What? No!” Derek sat up suddenly, pushing Stiles’ hands off his waist. “Is that what you want?”

“Yeah?” Stiles sat up beside him.

“You’re lying.” Derek moved away from him to sit at the end of the bed, running his hand over his face.

“OK, so maybe I am a little bit, I just thought that might be what you wanted.”

“Well it isn’t.” Derek turned around to look at him. “Stiles, us, this, whatever this is....it’s only been two weeks.”

“13 days actually.”

“So much better.” Derek replied sarcastically. “What would you have done if I’d said yes?”

“Had sex with you, I guess.” Stiles straightened his t-shirt nervously.

“Even though you don’t really want to?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought that’s what you’d want? You’re older than me and you’ve, you know, had sex before.”

“With someone who used me so she could murder my family. Who lied to me constantly and bullied me into having sex with her even when I didn’t want to. You know I never told anyone about her, even before the fire? Even when she was making me do things I didn’t want to? Who would have taken that seriously? Older woman, who everyone thought was really attractive, wants to have sex with me and I’m saying no? People would have thought there was something wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Stiles said softly, moving forward until he could put his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “There was something wrong with her. You know there’s like, a word for what she did to you...”

“I know that.” Derek snapped. “I know what the law calls it.”

“Look, I’m sorry, OK? I didn’t mean to piss you off.” He watched nervously as Derek clenched and unclenched his fists, staring at the back of the door.

“You didn’t.” Derek said at last.

“Doesn’t really seem like it.”

“I think I better go.” Derek muttered, getting to his feet.

“I’ve upset you, haven’t I?”

“No.” Derek bent his head, kissing Stiles briefly on the cheek but failed to meet his eyes.

“So why are you leaving?”

“Because I can’t talk about this anymore. And if I stay, you’re going to want me to.” Derek shrugged and turned towards the door, hesitating as he grabbed hold of the doorknob. “You’re coming to the pack meeting tomorrow, right?”

“Pack meeting. Sure.” Stiles mumbled, looking down at his feet. He stayed sitting on his bed, listening as Derek walked quickly down the stairs, slamming the front door as he left the house. Through the open window, he could hear the sound of the Camaro starting and threw himself face down on his bed, burying his face in his pillow as he tried to stop himself from crying. Leave it to him to screw things up with Derek in less than a fortnight.


	22. Chapter 22

“Why are you being so quiet?” Scott asked, braking sharply as the lights turned red. “It’s really weird.”

“Because your driving upsets me.” Stiles replied, glaring out of the window. “Why couldn’t we take my car?”

“Because it’s been forever since I’ve been allowed to drive my mom’s car! I want to make the most of it! Come on, what’s the matter?”

“Green light.” Stiles told him, nodding at the traffic lights. “I sort of had this weird argument, I guess, with Derek last night.”

“The kind of argument that we’re all going to suffer for now?”

“No. The kind of argument that ended up with him being all weird and walking out of my bedro...house last night.”

“He was in your bedroom?”

“Yeah, so what? He used to break into my room all the time. Derek being in my room, not a new thing.”

“He hasn’t been in your room since you started doing whatever it is you’re doing with him though, has he?” Scott pulled a face.

“Are you going to say I told you so? Because if you are, you can just pull over right now and let me out. I’m not in the mood for I told you so.”

“I wasn’t going to say I told you so! Why would I say that?”

“Because you said the other day that Derek was going to hurt me or whatever.”

“Did he? What did you argue about anyway?” Scott turned into an alleyway between two large buildings.

“It wasn’t an argument argument. It was more like a disagreement. I mean, I don’t think he was angry when he left, just kind of weird.”

“Think he’s going to be weird at you this evening?”

“I hope not. He asked if I was coming to the pack meeting before he left. That’s good, right?”

“Probably?” Scott pulled up outside the warehouse, turning to face Stiles as he cut the engine. “But if I end up suffering because you had a lover’s tiff with Derek, I’m not giving you a ride home later.”

“You’re such a jerk.” Stiles told him as he followed him from the car and in to the warehouse.

“I am not!”

“Not what?” Boyd asked, looking up at Stiles and Scott walked in. Stiles tuned out the rest of their conversation, sitting down on the shabby couch near the train carriage. He was so invested in not trying to stare obviously at Derek that Peter reached over and cuffed him over the head to get his attention.

“Did Argent give you anything?”

“Huh?”

“You were meant to be getting a copy of their bestiary, Stiles.” Peter cocked an eyebrow before frowning at him.

“I’ve been busy.” Stiles replied, glancing up at Derek.

“Hmm, busy with who, I wonder.” Peter smirked, leaning closer to Stiles and sniffing the air delicately. Stiles forced himself to keep staring straight ahead, determined not to look at Derek again.

“With myself.” He snapped, frowning when Peter sniggered. “You know, laughing at things like that really does make you sound like a dirty old man.”

“Oh, I’m not that old.” Peter smirked again, turning his attention from Stiles to Derek. “And if I’m not mistaken, older seems to be your thing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Stiles said automatically, wincing as he heard the lie leave his mouth.

“If you say so.”

Stiles pouted, turning away from Peter to stare aimlessly around the warehouse, listening as Derek grumbled to Isaac and Scott about the Alpha pack.

“Surely you’re aware that this Kali isn’t their leader.” Peter called, staring down at his hand, extending and retracting his claws; Stiles watched him, wondering if he realised he looked like a cat.

“What?” Derek spun on his heel to glare at Peter.

“You heard. Kali isn’t the leader. She’s merely someone’s lieutenant.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Observation. She might call the shots with those little puppies, but someone’s giving her orders, someone higher up.”

“An alpha-alpha-alpha?” Stiles asked.

“A what?” Peter asked, frowning at him.

“Uh, like an alpha of someone who’s already an alpha of other alphas. Kind of like an alpha cubed!” He paused for a moment. “Ever notice when you say a word too much it stops sounding like a word? Alpha sounds weird now.”

“Anyway.” Peter looked away from Stiles as though he hadn’t said anything. “If you want to stop them encroaching on our territory, you need to find out who’s giving the orders.”

“Got any suggestions?” Derek demanded.

“You’re the alpha, as you like to remind us all so often. You figure it out.” Peter stretched and got to his feet. “And on that note, I’m leaving.”

“What do you mean, leaving?” Derek snapped, crossing to where Peter stood and squaring up to him.

Leaving. As in exiting the building. Going away from you and the children. I’ve got better things to do with my time than sit here figuring everything out for you.”

“Better things? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’ve got a date, dear nephew.” Peter replied, pushing Derek aside and walking towards the exit.

“You don’t get to just leave!” Derek shouted, chasing after him. “You came to me, asked to be part of my pack. That means you do what I say.”

“And ordinarily, I would. But tonight I’ve got a date.”

“Urgh, please tell me it’s not with my mom again?” Scott asked warily.

“Alas, no.” Peter turned and smirked at him. “Now get out of my way Derek.” He brushed past Derek, stifling a laugh as he gave a low, warning growl.

“So, uh, if Peter’s gone, can we go as well?” Erica asked.

“Do what you want.” Derek snapped, walking away towards the subway car. “You probably will anyway.”

“Come on.” Erica grinned at Boyd, holding out her hand to him.

“This isn’t shaping up to be the best pack meeting, huh?” Scott commented. “What are we meant to do now?” He looked towards the subway car.

“Well maybe people should stop being tools and do what they’re told.” Stiles piped up, frowning when he saw the amused expression on Scott’s face.

“Do we have to stay though?” Scott continued. “Only I told Allison I’d come by later and see her.”

“Does pack mean nothing to any of you?” Derek growled, appearing in the subway car door. Stiles watched as Isaac and Scott shared a nervous glance.

“Yeah, of course it does.”

“Really? Then why is everyone so desperate to get out of here today?”

“It’s not exactly a pack meeting with just us and Stiles, is it.” Isaac pointed out.

“So go then.” Derek turned his back on them, arms folded across his chest.

“You coming?” Scott asked Stiles.

“Uh, I guess.” Stiles watched Derek anxiously, unsure whether to stay or not.

“No.” Derek snapped. “I need to talk to Stiles about some research.”

“Guess not.” Stiles sighed, picking up Peter’s laptop from the floor beside the couch.

“Research, huh?” Scott grinned as he walked towards the door, Isaac trailing after him. Stiles shifted uncomfortably, watching as Derek turned suddenly, apparently having just realised what Scott was implying and chased after him. Stiles rolled his eyes, dropping the laptop onto the couch next to him and getting to his feet. When Derek didn’t immediately reappear, he started pacing around the large space, kicking at discarded cans and other debris before sitting on top of an old oil drum. He pulled out his phone, texting Scott to remind him that he was a douche and probably deserved whatever injuries Derek inflicted on him.

**. o o o .**

“You bought me a nutrageous bar?” Stiles asked, fumbling his catch when Derek threw the candy to him.

“Yeah. To say sorry.” Derek leant against one of the support pillars.

“You do realise that as an older guy giving me candy, you look kind of creepy, right?”

“You can give it back if you want.”

“Hell no!” Stiles tore the wrapper open taking a big bite of the candy bar. “You don’t need to say sorry anyway. It was me that was being an idiot.”

“Well that goes without saying.” Derek laughed shortly. “I’m saying sorry for walking out last night.”

“S’ok.” Stiles finished the last of his candy bar and smiling as Derek walked towards him. “Sorry I keep saying and doing stupid stuff and pissing you off.”

“You don’t piss me off.” Derek said, leaning on the oil drum, his hands on either side of Stiles’ hips.

“Liar.” Stiles teased. “I totally piss you off.”

“Not about us stuff though.” Derek replied; he leant forward and pressed his forehead against Stiles. “Just everything else.”

“Good to know.” Stiles replied, kissing Derek tentatively.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.” Derek pulled on Stiles’ wrist, encouraging him to get off the oil drum.

“Peter was being a creeper before.” Stiles told him as they walked towards the Camaro.

“Doing what?”

“Just general Peter stuff. Implying that he knows something about us.”

“He did the same to me.” Derek admitted, unlocking the car. “Asking me why I smell like you all the time. Told him you’d been doing research and I’d been at your house.”

“Did he believe you?” Stiles slammed the car door, making Derek wince.

“Probably not. I don’t particularly care what he thinks though.”

“Easy for you to say. You can just do your whole ‘I’m the alpha’ growl, growl, glowy eyes thing and shut him up. I, on the other hand, just get to sit there and have him make creepy remarks and jokes at me.”

“Growl, growl, glowy eyes?” Derek pulled a face. “That is not what I do.”

“Oh it totally is. Remember that time in the police station when you saved me from a savage Isaac-ing? You were totally growl, growl, glowy eyes.” He laughed when he saw the expression on Derek’s face. “Not that I’m complaining! Nobody likes getting Isaac-ed! Like, if I had to be savaged to death by a werewolf, I’d hope it’d be by someone cooler than Isaac.”

“I thought you were done ragging on Isaac?”

“Yeah, I am, but it never hurts to practice!” He reached out, about to fiddle with the radio when he saw the look Derek shot him “I wasn’t going to do anything bad!”

“Besides mess up all my stations? Like the time you were just going to change stations and somehow everything ended up being set to country stations?”

“In my defence, you do look like someone that would enjoy country music and you’d pissed me off at the time.”

“You look like someone who should get out of my car and walk from here.” Derek teased, poking Stiles in the leg.

“Fine. I’ll just sit here, in silence, keeping my fingers to myself, slowly fading away and ceasing to exist.”

“Much better.” Derek gave him a brief smile and turned his attention back to the road. Stiles drummed his fingers on his knees impatiently, staring out of the window and fidgeting in his seat.

“So, uh, did you maul Scott before then?”

“57 seconds.”

“What?”

“You were quiet for 57 seconds. That must be some kind of record for you.”

“Shut up. So did you?”

“No, I didn’t maul him. Told him to keep his mouth shut and stop dropping stupidly unsubtle hints in front of other people.” Derek glanced over at him.

“Oh. That’s good I guess. You’re not mad that he knows?” Stiles chewed on his fingernail nervously.

“No. I get that he’s your best friend and you tell him stuff. Just wish he wouldn’t go around running his mouth.”

“He won’t tell anyone else, you know. He does keep promises.”

“Good.”

“So you don’t want anyone else to know about us?” Stiles asked, worrying at a hole in the knee of his jeans.

“Not really, not yet.”

“Oh.” Stiles lapsed in to silence, staring out the window with his chin in his hand.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re not embarrassed of me or something are you?”

“No.”

“So why don’t you want people knowing? You already said that you think Peter knows, and Scott definitely knows there’s something going on between us. Why is it so bad that the rest of the pack know?”

“Because this is all new for me.” Derek shrugged.

“So? It’s not exactly old news for me! Anyway, you’ve had a relationship before.”

“Not a real one.”

“So this is real then?”

“Guess so.” Derek replied, pulling over to the side of the road. “You can walk from here, right?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Stiles unbuckled his seat belt, wondering whether he should kiss Derek goodbye or not. Derek solved his dilemma by leaning over and giving him a quick kiss, squeezing his hand as he did so.

“You’re going to come over tomorrow?” Derek asked hopefully as Stiles got out of the car. Stiles nodded as he shut the door. He waited until Derek had pulled away and driven out of sight before he started walking towards home, trying to stop himself from smiling like an idiot as he walked. He thought it was probably unreasonable to be so happy about being asked to go over to Derek’s apartment.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mentions of previous self harm in this chapter - quite vague and in the past, but maybe don't read if it's something you find triggering. x.

“That’s a coffee table.” Stiles said stupidly, pushing past Derek and circling the low table near the couch.

“Hi to you too.” Derek replied, rolling his eyes and closing the door. He sat down on the couch, watching Stiles with amusement as he crouched down to look at the table.

“Is it real?”

“Stop being stupid.” Derek reached for Stiles’ wrist, trying to pull him onto the couch. “Did you really come over to look at my furniture?”

“No, of course not. I came over to make out with you.” Stiles grinned unabashedly. “I’m just amazed that you’ve bought furniture. Why are you buying furniture?” Derek ignored him, reaching for him again and managing to catch hold of his arm. Stiles smiled, letting Derek pull him down beside him. He leant closer, one hand on Derek’s chest and kissed him.

“I like that you’re buying furniture.” Stiles said quietly when he broke the kiss.

“Why?”

“If you’re buying furniture, it means you’re not going to run away.”

“I’ve got better reasons not to leave town than a coffee table.” Derek told him between kisses, sliding his hand underneath Stiles t-shirt and running it across his stomach.

“Like your pack and stuff?” Stiles asked. “I guess you can’t leave them, I mean they’ll probably do something stupid like go on fire or something if you did.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant.” Derek said sarcastically, nodding down at his hand.

“Oh right. Wait, me?” Stiles blushed. “I’m a reason not to run away again?”

“Yes.” Derek replied, leaning down and kissing his neck.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” Derek looked up at him again. “Are you ever going to stop talking?”

“Probably, at some point.” Stiles grinned into Derek’s hair. “Especially if you keep doing that.” He shivered as Derek ran his hand across his stomach again, pulling at the hem of his t-shirt. “I’m not taking my shirt off.” He added when he saw Derek looking at him expectantly.

“Better?” Derek asked, sitting up abruptly and pulling off his own shirt.

“Oh yeah, that really helps.” Stiles pulled a face. “Dude, have you seen you? I’d feel even more ridiculous looking sat next to you.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Derek pulled at his shirt again.

“Urgh, fine.” Stiles pulled his shirt off, throwing it onto the other couch and sitting back with his arms folded across his chest. “Happy now?”

“Yes.” Derek reached for Stiles’ wrists, gently pulling his arms away from his chest and kissing him. “Stop putting yourself down.”

Stiles frowned at him for a moment before forgetting that he was meant to be feeling uncomfortable, leaning forward and pushing Derek back against the arm of the couch as he shyly parted Derek’s lips with his own, shivering as he felt Derek’s tongue slide into his mouth.  Growing more confident, he ran his fingers lightly along Derek’s ribs, enjoying the way he flinched when Stiles stroked a ticklish spot.  He moaned quietly when Derek grasped his hip, running his thumb gently across his abdomen. After a few minutes, he reluctantly opened his eyes as Derek pulled away, following a deep line on his stomach with his thumb.

“What’s that?” He asked Stiles, sitting up a bit.

“From when I had my appendix out.” Stiles said, leaning back against the couch and poking at the scar.

Why is it so big? I thought they do keyhole surgery for that?”

“I sorted of freaked out when they took me to the hospital. It was like a year after my mom died and I lost it when I realised where we were. I may have, uh, bit a nurse.” 

“What, and she got revenge by carving you up?”

“No, you idiot. It burst or something; I hadn’t told my dad I was sick for over a week, so it got left too long and by the time they managed to convince me to go into the hospital, it was all infected and burst. So I got rushed into the crazy expensive save your life kind of surgery instead of the fancy one that doesn’t leave you looking like you’ve been gutted.” He gave Derek a confused look as he leant over, running his finger over the raised flesh. “Why are you so interested? It’s only a scar.”

“Don’t know.” Derek shrugged.

“Well not all of us have magical healing powers. Us lesser mortals have to make do with getting sewn up when someone slices us open.” He grinned as Derek continued to stare at his stomach. “Are you jealous because you can’t get scars and look totally badass like me?”

“No.”

“Yeah right. Wanna see my other badass scars?” Stiles grinned. “Like this one.” He pointed to a tiny dark mark on the back of his hand, barely distinguishable from his freckles and moles.

“That’s not a scar.”

“It totally is. It’s from where Scott stabbed me with a pencil when we were in first grade.”

“Why did he stab you with pencil?” Derek asked, an amused expression on his face.

“I bit him ‘cause he took my beanie baby.” Stiles laughed, looking pleased with himself.

“You bit Scott, you bit a nurse. Should I be worried?”

“Completely.” Stiles bared his teeth and growled at Derek in an over the top way. “No, I don’t bite people anymore, not properly, anyway.”

“Good to know.”

“Are we done talking about my stupid body now? ‘Cause I’d quite like to go back to the part where we make out.” He reached out, trying to pull Derek closer to him again.

 “What’s that one from?” Derek asked, grabbing Stiles’ right arm and tracing the horizontal scar on the inside of his forearm, just below his elbow.

“It’s nothing.” Stiles replied, pulling his arm away. He was already feeling self conscious enough with his shirt off in front of Derek, and having him prod and poke at every little mark he found interesting was not helping.

“Tell me.”

“You’ll think it’s stupid.” Stiles said, touching the scar absent mindedly and pulling a face. “I kind of did it to myself.”

“Why?”

“I don’t really know now. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It was when I was in eighth grade. I’d been having a really bad time at school, and me and Scott had had this massive fight and hadn’t talked to each other for a week and then my grandpa died. I thought it might make me feel better. Stupid, huh?”

“Not really.” Derek pulled him closer. “Did it work?”

“No, mostly it just hurt and then I had to come up with a bunch of lies to explain to my dad and people at school what had happened.” He moved, resting his head on Derek’s shoulder. It had been three weeks since what Stiles had privately dubbed “the epic talk”, and he was still amazed that this was something he was allowed to do now. “I don’t really get why people do that, cut themselves to feel better.”

“Sometimes it helps.” Derek replied, sounding almost self conscious.

“What do you mean? Have you done that before?”

“Yeah.”

“How come? When?”

“When I was in Chicago, two years after the fire. I thought I saw Kate walking down the street outside our apartment building. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her, but I went and looked her up on Facebook to make sure it wasn’t, make sure she wasn’t in Chicago.” He pulled a face, running his fingernails along his forearm as he stared across the room. “It messed me up; she just had all this completely normal stuff on there, like how she was going to the mall and stuff. Like destroying my life didn’t even matter to her.”

“So you started hurting yourself?” Stiles asked cautiously.

“Yeah. It made me feel better, ‘cause it should have been me that she hurt, not my family.”

Stiles reached across and gently took hold of Derek’s hand when he realised his claws were starting to protrude slightly, tiny beads of blood appearing on his forearm for a second before vanishing again. Derek pulled his hand away roughly, making a fist to hide his claws.

“Sorry.” He muttered.

“For what?”

“I don’t like you seeing me like that.”

“Like what? Wolfy? Dude, I’ve seen you wolfed out loads of times.”

“That’s different. This is different.”

“How come?” Stiles asked

“Because. It is. You seeing me shift when I’m fighting someone isn’t the same.”

“I don’t mind.”  Stiles told him, reaching for his hand again. Derek twisted out of his reach.

“Well I do.”

“But why?”

“Kate.” Derek muttered, sitting up and moving away from Stiles.

“Oh.” He fiddled with the waistband of his jeans for a moment and watched Derek nervously. “What did she...”

“Do?” Derek finished the sentence for him. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I don’t like making you upset by doing stupid things that remind you of her.” Stiles replied. “I get it though, if you don’t want to tell me.”

“She used to ask me to shift when...when she was having sex with me.” Derek hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees. “I didn’t like doing it, but she used to say it made it better for her.” He covered his face with his hands, sighing loudly.

“Why?

“How should I know? Probably some fucked up fetish of hers.”

Stiles stayed unusually quiet, leaning forward and cautiously putting one arm around Derek’s shoulder. When he didn’t shrug him off, he moved closer, pressing a kiss against Derek’s shoulder blade and slipping his other arm around his waist.

“Sorry if I freaked you out.” Derek said softly, covering Stiles’ hand with his own.

“You didn’t. I like that you can talk to me though. I mean, I know it’s horrible stuff to talk about, but I like that you seem to trust me now.”

“I’ve trusted you for a while.” Derek said. “Since that night in the pool.”

“Seriously?” Stiles asked, peering at Derek’s shoulder and grinning.

“Yeah. Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because. You spend so much time trying to look like Captain Badass and you’ve got these ridiculous freckles on your shoulders. It’s cute.”

“I’m not cute.”

“Oh no, you? You’re a hideous cave troll.” Stiles teased. Derek laughed, pushing Stiles’ arm away from his stomach.

“Are you throwing me out for calling you cute?” Stiles asked, looking up at him anxiously.

“No, idiot. I’m going to the bathroom.”

As Derek closed the bathroom door, Stiles scrabbled on the coffee table for a pen, scrawling something on the back of an old receipt, folding it up and wedging the piece of paper inside one of Derek’s sneakers.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked suspiciously as he re-appeared in the living room.

“Nothing!” Stiles lied. Derek raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, sitting down beside Stiles on the couch.

“It’s nearly seven you know.” He said sadly, trailing his fingers up and down Stiles’ back.

“I know.” Stiles pulled a face. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“You don’t have to ask, you know. You can just come over.” Derek pulled him into a hug. Stiles kissed him briefly and reluctantly pulled away from Derek, standing up and putting his t-shirt back on.

“Thought you might have better things to do, that’s all.”

“Nope.” Derek followed him to the door, catching hold of Stiles’ hand and drawing him close. He leant in, resting his forehead against Stiles’ and gave him a half smile. “I’m glad you came over today.”

“Me too.” Stiles grinned, squeezing Derek’s hand before sighing, moving his head to look at the door. “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialling up the fluff factor...

Stiles watched as Derek’s neighbour looked up at him in panic, shuffling back into her apartment and slamming the door. He was sitting on the wooden steps that led up to Derek’s apartment, waiting for him to come home from wherever the hell he seemed to have gone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again, and was in the middle of writing a text when he heard the door open behind him.

“You are the cheesiest, corniest person I know.” Derek told him, stepping to one side to let Stiles past; he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants, his hair damp and flat, as thought he had just got out of the shower.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” Stiles grinned, giving Derek a brief kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“People who are terrible liars should stop lying.” Derek teased as he kicked the door shut, crossing the room quickly and wrapping his arms around Stiles’ waist.

“Still no idea.” Stiles smiled again, pulling away from Derek. He sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him.

“Really?” Derek pulled a wadded up piece of receipt paper from his pocket as he sat down. “So someone else wrote down song lyrics and shoved them in my shoe?”

“Must have been.” Stiles let Derek pull him into a kiss, before leaning back slightly and whispering, “of course, if it had been me that did it, I’d totally mean it.”

“That’d be a nice sentiment, if I’d been able to read your chicken scratch hand writing.”

“Hey!” Stiles grabbed for the piece of paper Derek still had in his hand. “My writing isn’t that bad, and anyway, I wrote it in a hurry. And if my handwriting is so bad, then how did you know what it says?”

“I don’t.”

“You’re such a liar. Give it here, I’ll read it to your stupid ass.”

“Suit yourself.” Derek tossed the receipt paper to him.

“It says ‘ _I’ll be with you through the dark so that you do not go through the dark alone_ ’. Happy now?” Stiles blushed furiously.

“Yes.” Derek nodded, smiling at him. “I wanted to hear you say it out loud.”

“Thanks for that. I feel like such a dork now.”

“Don’t. It was nice.”

“You know what it’s from, right?”

“Stiles, I had that album before you did. You only stole it from the internet because you knew I’d bought it.” Derek rolled his eyes, grabbing hold of Stiles’ t shirt and pulling him down on top of him as he lay back on the couch.

“Urgh, you and couches.” Stiles muttered when Derek loosened his grip on him. “I’m starting to think you’ve got some kind of couch fetish.”

“You got a better idea?” Derek cocked an eyebrow at him. Stiles sat back on his heels, nodding pointedly at the bedroom door.  Derek followed his gaze and frowned. “No.”

“Oh come on, I won’t awkwardly proposition you this time!”

“No.”

“Well I[‘m going in your bedroom, you can stay here on the couch like a sad wolf.” Stiles teased, getting to his feet. Derek followed him, grabbing him from behind, one arm across his chest, the other pinning his arms to his sides.

“What’s the appeal of my bedroom?” He asked, kissing the back of Stiles’ neck.

“Your couches aren’t conducive to making out.” Stiles grinned, biting Derek’s forearm playfully.

“Promise you won’t threaten me with sex if we go in the bedroom?” Derek asked, taking a step forward and forcing Stiles to do the same.

“First of all, I didn’t threaten, I offered. And yes, I’ll behave myself.” He squirmed as Derek kissed the back of his neck again. “Sort of, anyway.”

**. o o o .**

Stiles threw a pillow in the direction of his phone, which he’d forgotten to put on silent and now kept ringing or beeping at the most inopportune moments.

“I’ll turn it off.” He muttered, trying to untangle himself from Derek and the blankets that had somehow become wrapped around his legs.

“Just let your voicemail get it.” Derek replied, his voice muffled as he trailed kisses along Stiles’ neck and collarbone.

“Yeah, ok. That sounds like a good plan.” Stiles let himself be pulled back down, dragging his fingernails playfully across Derek’s chest, enjoying the moan he got in response. Stiles sighed happily as Derek moved his hand up to his neck, fingers brushing his cheekbone as they kissed hungrily and began sliding his hand down Derek’s chest and across his stomach, trying to distract him from his obvious intent by sucking hard on his lower lip. As his fingers brushed the waist band of Derek’s sweatpants, his phone started ringing again.

“Leave it.” Derek whispered, his lips tickling Stiles’ own.

“I can’t.” Stiles replied, sitting up. “That’s my dad’s ringtone.” He shuffled to the end of the bed, groping in the pocket of his jeans for his phone. He groaned when he looked over his shoulder at Derek, who lay back against the pillow, one arm behind his head, his hair looking unreasonably tousled and sexy.

“Hey dad, what’s up.”

“ _Hey. Where are you right now, Stiles?_ ”

“At Scott’s, I told you before I was coming over for a bit.” Stiles glanced over his shoulder at Derek again, frowning.

“ _I’m going to ask you that again, and I want you to think very carefully before you answer me. Where are you right now?_ ”

“Dad, I’m at Scott’s, like I said.” He felt Derek shift on the bed behind, moving to sit behind him as he slipped his arm around Stiles, running his fingers along the line of hair on his stomach. He dropped his head onto Derek’s shoulder, shuffling back and enjoying the feel of Derek’s warm chest pressed against his back. “Is something wrong.”

“ _You tell me._ ” Stiles could hear a rustling noise on the phone and frowned again, trying to ignore the feel of Derek’s stubble scratching his back as he kissed his shoulder. “ _Melissa, would you say my son is here right now?_ ”

“Shit, shit, shit.” Stiles covered the mouthpiece of the phone, looking panic stricken. “My dad’s at Scott’s house.” He hissed to Derek. “I’m in so much trouble.”

“ _Home. Now._ ” There was a click as his dad ended the call. Stiles pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at it as though it were about to explode.

“Calm down.” Derek whispered in his ear, resting his chin on Stiles’ shoulder. “He just knows you not really at Scott’s. He doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Easy for you to say. It’s not you that’s about to be in a world of trouble.” He squeezed Derek’s hand tightly and pushed his arm away. “I suppose I better go face the firing squad.”

“I’ll come by later and make sure you’re ok.” Derek said, watching him as he got dressed. Stiles pulled his hoodie over his head, leaning down and kissing Derek.

“Make sure I’m alive more like. He’s going to kill me.”

**. o o o .**

His dad was waiting for him on the front porch when he pulled into the driveway, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he watched Stiles walk towards him.

“Keys. Now.” Stiles reluctantly dropped his car keys into his dad’s outstretched hand.

“Imagine my annoyance when I got home and realised I’d left my keys at the station.” His dad said, unlocking the door with Stiles’ keys. “So I drive to Scott’s to get yours, only it turns out, your keys aren’t at Scott’s, and neither are you. And then Melissa tells me that she hasn’t seen you at their house in a week.” He grabbed hold of Stiles’ shoulder and steered him into his study, pushing him down into the desk chair.

Stiles drummed his fingers on the desk top nervously. Talks in the study were never good. Talks in the study inevitably led to groundings and other unreasonable restrictions on his personal liberty.

“You’ve told me five times this week that you were going over to Scott’s. Including one night where you slept over. Where have you really been?”

“I was at Scott’s that night I slept over. Melissa was working all night so she probably didn’t see me. Call Scott and ask him if you don’t believe me.”

“So he can lie to me as well? I’m sure he’s already well versed in covering up for you.”

“Fine, ask Isaac if you don’t trust Scott. He’ll tell you.” Stiles swivelled the chair back and forth, trying to avoid his dad’s angry gaze.

“That’s one day, Stiles. One, out of five. Where were you the other four?”

“Nowhere.”

“Have you been drinking again? Is that what this is about?

“No, dad. I had like one beer at that party I went to at Erica’s, but I haven’t drunk anything else since I came home after we had that fight.”

“Stop lying to me.” His dad snapped, grabbing hold of the arms of the chair and turning Stiles to face him. “I’m fed up with your lies. I want the truth and I want it now.”

“Dad, I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

“What do you mean, not yet? What, you’ll be able to tell me where you’ve been going and what you’ve been doing in a week’s time? A month’s time? I want to know now. Where. Have. You. Been.”

“I’ve been sort of seeing someone.” Stiles muttered, not meeting his dad’s eyes.

“Who.”

“Just someone. Dad, please. This is all new for me, I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that someone wants to be with me before I start running my mouth about it and mess it all up.”

His dad let go of the chair and leant against the desk, his arms folded across his chest.

“Do you know her from school then?” He asked at last, his voice softening. Stiles sighed, running his hand over his head.

“What would you say if I said I knew him from school?” He asked, swivelling the chair and looking down at the floor. It wasn’t a complete lie after all; Derek had turned up at the school on several occasions over the last year.

“I’d...what? Him?”

“Yes, dad, him. Why is that so surprising?”

“You never said...I mean, you only ever talked about Lydia.”

“That doesn’t mean I just like girls though.” Stiles swivelled the chair again, glancing up at his dad.

“What’s his name?”

“Can we file that under things I’ll tell you at a later date?” Stiles asked, grabbing a pen from the desk and spinning it between his fingers.

“I’d be much happier if you’d tell me now.”

“Da-ad.” He replied, over pronouncing the word. “I can’t, not yet. I don’t want to jinx things. Like what if I tell you stuff now and then we break up and then you think I made it up to get out of trouble. I want to tell you stuff about him but not yet.”

“So he’s your...boyfriend then?”

“I don’t know.” Stiles blushed. “We haven’t really talked about that yet, about if it’s like exclusive or whatever.” He could feel his dad watching him, arms folded across his chest, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“Are you happy? With this mystery guy?” His dad asked after a while.

“Yeah, yeah I am.” Stiles tried to repress the grin that spread across his face and failed miserably.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to tell me who he is?”

“So you can look up his arrest record? No thanks.”

“He has an arrest record?”

“No! That was a joke.”  Stiles backtracked quickly. “I will tell you dad, just not yet. Please just trust me on this one. I mean, I know I’m not doing much to show you that you should, but I really, really like this guy.”

“Fine.” His dad sighed at last. “I will, but no more lies. If you’re not going to be at Scott’s, I want to know that.” Stiles nodded happily, swivelling the chair again and grinning.

“Thanks dad.”

“So...Take out for dinner?”

**. o o o .**

“You’re not dead then?” Stiles looked up to see Derek climbing in the window.

“Not yet.” He grinned, closing his laptop and turning to face Derek as he sat down on the bed. “My dad just left like ten minutes ago to go get takeout. I think it’s meant to be some kind of ‘well done on not being weird enough to be single your whole life gesture’, well that and he really likes Chinese food. So yeah, he’s gone out.”

“I know. I was waiting down the street for him to drive past.” Derek replied. “What did you tell him?”

“That I’ve been sort of seeing someone.” Stiles replied as he crossed to the bed, sitting down beside Derek. “And that I didn’t want to tell him anything more just yet in case I jinxed things.”

“What did he say?”

“He just asked if I ‘knew her from school’.” Stiles pulled a face. “I think he was pretty surprised when I said I wasn’t seeing a girl; maybe that’s why he didn’t give me the full interrogation.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Derek pulled him into a hug, nuzzling his nose against the warm skin of Stiles’ neck.

“He asked if you were my boyfriend.” Stiles muttered. “Well, obviously not you personally, but if this ‘guy I’ve been seeing’ is my boyfriend.”

“Am I?”

“What? I don’t know! We haven’t really talked about that, have we.”

“Do you want me to be?” Derek asked with a hint of shyness.

“Uh, hell yes.” Stiles laughed nervously. “I mean, only if you want to.”

Derek leant over and kissed him by way of an answer.

 


	25. Chapter 25

“You’re going camping?” Stiles nodded through a mouthful of veggie burger, enjoying the look of displeasure on his dad’s face as he pulled his own burger apart. He was of the opinion that if he was going to be forced down to the police station to supply his dad with food then he should at least get to decide what food he brought.

“It’s Erica’s idea.” He pulled a face. “I think she might have some list of clichéd stuff teenagers do in movies that she’s trying to get through. She seriously wants to have a campfire and make smores and all that crap. None of us are safe from activity co-ordinator Reyes.”

“So who else is going on this little trip?”

“The usual. Scott, Isaac, Boyd. I think Allison might come too.”

“Is your boyfriend going?”

“Probably not.”

“Notice how I have to say your boyfriend because you still haven’t told me his name.” His dad said pointedly. “Why isn’t he going?”

“He doesn’t want to.” Stiles said. It wasn’t a complete lie after all; Derek had made it clear that he would not be going on any kind of group bonding camp out in the woods, making it even more obvious that he thought there should be no camping in the woods at all. “He doesn’t really get on with some of my friends. He thinks they’re immature.”

“He’s not in your grade then?”

“Stop interrogating me. No, he’s older than us.”

“How much older?”

“The grade above us.” Stiles lied, taking another large bite from his burger, pleased that unlike nearly everyone else he associated with these days, his dad couldn’t always tell when he was lying.

“Sure you don’t want to tell me his name?”

“Very, very sure.” Stiles nodded emphatically, rolling his eyes. His dad had taken to randomly asking him questions about ‘his boyfriend’ on a regular basis, presumably hoping to catch him out and get him to admit more information about him.

“Does he even exist?” He dad teased, leaning back in his chair and taking a long sip of root beer. Stiles scowled at him and nodded. “I better not get any calls about nuisance behaviour relating to you lot.”

“Duh. We’re going out into the preserve. It’s not like we’re camping in someone’s back yard. There’ll be no one to witness any nuisance behaviour.”

“How about I ignore the parts where you just admitted you’re camping in a nature preserve where camping and campfires aren’t allowed and where you just admitted there will be nuisance behaviour.”

“Sounds good to me.” Stiles grinned. “Thanks dad.”

“So how long will your illegal camping trip last?”

“Only tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow morning.” Stiles replied, not adding that they had to be back by then as it was nearly the full moon and none of them wanted to risk losing control out in the woods.

**. o o o .**

Stiles was woken by Scott poking him hard in the ribs and groaned, trying to burrow further down inside his sleeping bag. Despite all his reservations, camping had proved to be a pretty good idea; Stiles had spent most of the evening talking to Isaac, who’d made awesome smores and complained a lot less than Stiles had when Scott disappeared into the woods with Allison, returning an hour later with a stupid grin on his face. It would probably going to be quite a long time though before any of them forgot the frankly terrifying sex noises that had started emanating from Boyd and Erica’s tent later into the night. Stiles had fallen asleep sandwiched between Scott and Isaac, his hands clamped tightly over his ears.

“Your phone just went off.”

“So?”

“So I can only think of one person who’d be phoning you at this time of the morning.”  Scott whispered. Stiles sat up, rubbing his eyes as he tried to locate his phone, finally finding it inside his sneaker. Two missed calls and a text, all from Derek. He grinned happily in the darkness as he read the message.

“Where are you going?” Scott asked, propping himself up on his elbows and watching as Stiles pulled on his sneakers and a hoodie. Stiles threw his phone to him so he could read Derek’s message.

“I thought he didn’t want us to come camping? Why has he come to meet you?”

“No idea. I’m not complaining though.” Stiles grinned, taking his phone back from Scott. “I probably won’t be that long.”

“Yeah right.” Scott lay back down as Stiles struggled out of the tent, trying not to wake Allison or Isaac as he moved.

He stood by the remains of their fire, looking around and pulled out his phone when he saw no sign of Derek. Before he could call him, his phone beeped.

“ _Wait by your Jeep. I’ll come find you._ ”

Stiles breathed a sigh of relief as he read the message. At least he wasn’t going to have to wander around the woods trying to find Derek; wandering round the woods would inevitably lead to him getting himself lost or falling over a cliff or getting maimed by some previously un-encountered supernatural nightmare.

“Hey.” Stiles flailed as Derek appeared a few feet away from him, stopping him from thinking about all the horrors that could have befallen him in the forest.

“Hey to you too, Mr I’m-too-cool-to-go-camping.” Stiles rushed over to him, tripping on the lace from his sneaker and stumbling, saved from an embarrassing fall by Derek reaching out and grabbing his arm.

“Mr not-cool-at-all.” Derek teased, using his grip on Stiles’ arm to pull him close and kiss him hungrily.

“I’m completely awesome and you know it.” Stiles grinned, letting Derek grab his hand and lead him into the dark woods. “What are you doing here?”

“Wanted to see you.”

“How come?”

“Because I missed you, you idiot.”

“Cool. Hey, did your car get stuck in the mud down the track? Erica’s got totally stuck and then she threatened to slash my tyres when I offered to tow it out!” He squeezed Derek’s hand and looked around them, his eyes gradually growing accustomed to the darkness. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t know. Just somewhere where we won’t be heard if anyone else wakes up.”

“Maybe ‘somewhere you can’t be heard’ should be on one of your wolfy lesson plans.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask Boyd and Erica. They totally traumatised the rest of us.”

“You talk about Erica a lot you know.”

“I do?” Stiles asked, thinking that he could just make out Derek nodding in the darkness. “Maybe ‘cause she gets my sense of humour and no one else will have the whole Marvel versus DC conversation with me. I feel like a right jerk saying that I probably would never have noticed her properly if you hadn’t enrolled her in the leather posse and not because of the way she looks.” He added hurriedly. “Just she didn’t really talk to anyone before.”

“I told you before; I didn’t ask them all to start wearing leather jackets.” Derek pouted. “They copied me.”

“Who wouldn’t want to? You look pretty damn good in yours.”

“I know.”

“Ooh, so modest!” Stiles teased. Derek dragged him closer, leaning in to kiss him. Stiles smirked, taking several steps back until his back was against a large tree. He grinned wickedly, knowing that Derek could see much better in the dark than he could and licked his lips in what he hoped was a seductive way,

“Why do you like me pushing you around so much?” Derek asked as he pressed up against Stiles, grabbing his wrists and holding them against the tree.

“No reason.” Stiles whispered, watching Derek’s mouth.

“Tell me, or I won’t kiss you.”

“Urgh, fine. Remember that time you were hiding from the police at my house, which I still think was a pretty genius plan, and you were all Derek at me?”  Stiles said, trying to twist his wrists out of Derek’s grip. “And you shoved me up against my bedroom door?”

“Yeah.” Derek nodded, tightening his grip and running his thumb over the sensitive skin on the inside of Stiles’ wrist.

“I really wanted to kiss you, but I thought you’d probably, I dunno, head butt me or something so I didn’t, but you pushing me up against the door really, uh, did it for me!” Stiles grinned, leaning forwarding in an attempt to kiss him.

“You’re such a freak.” Derek smiled, pressing his forehead against Stiles’.

“Oh shut up, you clearly enjoying pushing me around as much as I like being pushed.”

“I don’t actually.” Derek told him as he finally kissed him. “I do it because I know you like it.”

“Why don’t you like it?” Stiles asked, sounding confused.

“Reminds me how much stronger I am than you, like I could probably really hurt you even if I didn’t mean to.” Derek dropped his head to Stiles’ shoulder and kissed his neck. “And I don’t want to hurt you.”

“So what do you like then?” Stiles asked, tilting his head to one side to allow Derek better access.

“Don’t know.” Derek shrugged, releasing his grip on Stiles and stepping away from him. “Come on, let’s keep walking.”

Stiles trudged after him, jogging for a moment to keep up.

“Where are we going now?”

“You’ll see.” Derek replied, slowing down and letting Stiles catch hold of his hand again. They walked for another fifteen minutes until the trees started to thin out around them, giving way to a large clearing at the top of a cliff. Stiles walked closer to the edge and peered over, the sheer drop making him dizzy.

“OK, so this is pretty cool.” Stiles said, backing away from the cliff edge. He found Derek leaning against a large boulder, hands buried deep in his pockets. “You’re such a poser.”

“I was waiting to see if I’d need to stop you from falling over the cliff.” Derek smiled, sitting down.

“Why does everyone treat me like I’m a clumsy spaz who’d go on fire or something given half the chance?” Stiles complained as he sat down between Derek’s legs, leaning back against his chest.

“Because they’ve spent more than five minutes in your company?” Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles’ stomach. “Now shut up and look at the pretty stars.”

“Yes sir.” Stiles laughed, shivering in the cool, early morning air. Derek hugged him tighter, leaning forward and kissing his shoulder.

“Cold?”

“A bit, but you’re stupidly warm like always, so I guess I’ll have to stay here.” Stiles snuggled further into Derek’s embrace, turning his head to one side so he could press his forehead against Derek’s neck. “I wish everyone else knew what you’re really like.” He muttered sleepily.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked, slipping his hand under Stiles’ t-shirt and hoodie, stroking his stomach.

“You know what I mean. That you’re nice and stuff. That you’re not just scary alpha Derek all the time.”

“I don’t want them to know that though. I have to be ‘scary alpha’ to them. That’s just the way it works.”

“So I should feel privileged that I get nice Derek all to myself then?” Stiles asked, stifling a yawn.

“Yes.”

“I can live with that, I guess.”

“Good.”

“But you are nice to them, you know. In your own way. None of us would be here altogether if you hadn’t turned them and I’m pretty sure they’re all grateful for that. Hell, I am. I mean, I know any of them could kill me within seconds, but I’m still pretty happy to know them, ‘cause they’re all pretty cool.”

“If you say so.”

“Stop being such a grumpy...”

“If you tell me I look like that damn cat one more time, I’m dumping your ass.” Derek growled.

“Not what I was going to say.” Stiles yawned. “But you totally do.”

“Shut up.” Derek kissed Stiles’ hair, hugging him tighter as he heard his heart slow slightly, his breathing pattern changing as he fell asleep. He loosened his grip as Stiles wriggled in his sleep, staring out at the view beyond the cliff and at the stars above them. When the sky finally started lighten on the horizon, he shook Stiles awake.

“Wassat?” Stiles muttered dumbly, rubbing his eyes, twisting slightly to look at Derek.

“You fell asleep.” Derek told him. “Do you always suck your thumb?”

“Not always.” Stiles replied, yawning hugely. “Sorry.”

“I don’t mind.” Derek bowed his head, intending to kiss Stiles who moved out of his reach.

“I’ve probably got gross morning breath.”

“Don’t care.”

“You’re so disgusting.” Stiles grinned as he relented and kissed Derek happily. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“That’s ok.”

“Hey, can I tell people we’ve slept together now? ‘Cause technically we have.” Stiles reluctantly got to his feet and stretched.

“Tell people?”

“You know what I mean, tell Scott.”

“Do you have to?”

“Yes. I want to watch him freak out while he tries to work out if I mean I’ve slept in the same place as you, or you know, the other meaning of sleeping together.”

“Not unless you want to go back to always sleeping on your own.” Derek replied as he stood up. “Why do you have to tell Scott everything? He gives me the evil eye enough as it is already.”

“Because he told me way too much stuff about Allison. I want to repay the favour.”

“Very mature.”

“I thought so.” Stiles laughed, reaching for Derek’s hands and entwining their fingers. “Thanks for coming to visit me, even if I did fall asleep on you and waste most of your night.”

“It wasn’t a waste. Will you come over when you get back into town?”

“Hell yes!”

“Good. Because I may or may not have bought a TV to stop you telling me you’re bored all the time. Thought we could watch a movie or something.”

“You’re awesome, you realise that?” Stiles leant forward and kissed Derek happily, snaking his arms underneath Derek’s and hugging him tight.

“Because I bought a TV?”

“No, just in general.” Stiles grinned as Derek disentangled himself, taking his hand and leading him back towards the campsite.

“Can you find your way from here?”

“Yep. I’ll be over as soon as we get back to town, OK?”

“Take a shower first. You smell of Isaac. It’s weird.” Derek screwed up his nose as Stiles shooed him away, giving him the finger. He didn’t want to add that the real reason he wanted Stiles to shower was that his skin stunk of smoke from their campfire and that the smell had been freaking him out all night, bringing back memories he’d much rather have kept buried.

 


	26. Chapter 26

“You got Jackass? That is so awesome.” Stiles laughed, kneeling up on the couch. “Did you know I love that show or was it just an amazing coincidence?”

“Who said anything about you?” Derek replied, taking a seat on the couch.

“Wait. You like Jackass? You? For real?”

“Yes. Sit down.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time Scott broke his wrist falling out of a shopping cart?” Stiles grinned, twisting around until his legs were draped over Derek’s.

“No. How much of it was your fault?”

“67%, give or take.” Stiles laughed. “It was his idea to get in the shopping cart first, but I may have led him slightly astray by making him watch Jackass for four hours straight. That and actually insisting that we go to the grocery store in the first place. His mom said I was a bad influence.”

“Was? You’re still a bad influence.” Derek teased, running his hand along Stiles’ leg as he started up the DVD. “You two could be 45 and you’d still be a bad influence on him.”

Stiles beamed hugely, as though this were the best compliment he’d ever been paid and turned his attention to the TV.

“I really didn’t think this would have been your sort of thing.” He said, glancing briefly at Derek.

“I used to watch it with my brother. He took me to watch the first movie for my 12th birthday.”

“I like hearing you talk about stuff from when you were younger.” Stiles told him, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen.

“Why?” Derek watched him with interest, absently mindedly tracing patterns on Stiles’ kneecap with his fingertip.

“Don’t know. I can’t imagine you being my age and doing dumb stuff. You’re just so _Derek_ all the time.”

“I’m not when I’m with you.” Derek muttered, pulling a face.

“Yeah, I know that, and I like it. What else were you into besides Jackass?”

“I don’t know. Dumb stuff.” Derek shrugged.

“What dumb stuff? Come on, you can’t just say dumb stuff and leave it at that!”

“Listening to music, hanging out with kids from school, playing baseball, dumb stuff.”

“What music?” Stiles persisted, jiggling his leg up and down, earning him a frown from Derek.

“Blink 182, Sum 41. Stuff like that. Why are you laughing?”

“Scott still listens to Blink 182 and Sum 41.”

“Maybe I should hang out with him instead.” Derek teased, lifting his hand off Stiles’ legs as he shuffled around on the couch.

“No. You should stay here with me.” Stiles pouted, pushing at Derek until he took the hint and lay back against the arm of the couch, one foot up on the coffee table. Stiles smiled happily, lying down against Derek’s chest, his attention drawn back to the TV.

“Me and my cousin Holden did the shopping cart thing once.” Derek said, subtly sniffing Stiles’ hair, pleased that all traces of bonfire smoke had been washed away.

“You’ve got a cousin called Holden? Like the guy in Catcher in the Rye?” Stiles asked, slipping his hand under Derek’s shirt and searching for the ticklish spot on his ribs.

“Yeah.”

“Is he...Was he at your house when...”

“No.” Derek tensed momentarily. “He lives up in Maine. I think he’s got a wife and kid now.”

“Is he much older than you?” Stiles asked, looking up at Derek.

“Four months.” Derek said sadly, hugging Stiles tighter. “Except it felt more like ten years last time I saw him. He came to New York for a few days when he found out me and Laura were there. It was weird. His life had moved on like it should have and there was me and Laura hiding out in some roach infested shit hole like a pair of lost kids. Really, really weird.”

“I’ll bet.” Stiles dropped his head onto Derek’s chest again, kissing his collarbone through his t-shirt. They watched the DVD in silence for a while, Derek trailing his fingers along Stiles’ shoulder as he gradually unwound.

“Hey, if you’d been born a human, would you want to be a werewolf?” Stiles asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Like would you want to be bitten?” Stiles bit Derek’s neck playfully for emphasis. “Or would you want to just be human?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never thought about it before.”

“So think about it now!” Stiles said, fidgeting and poking Derek in the chest. “Come on!”

“Or you could go back to being quiet and we could watch the DVD you said you wanted to watch.” Derek suggested, kissing Stiles’ forehead as he stroked his back. Stiles huffed loudly, shuffling into a more comfortable position. His attention wavered from the TV again as Derek continued rubbing his back and shoulders and he felt his eyes start to close, Derek’s touch lulling him to sleep.

**. o o o .**

“Stiles?”

“Hmm?”

“What’s your first name?” Derek asked quietly, dragging his nails through Stiles’ short hair as he lay drowsily against his chest.

“No, no, no. You can’t ask me things like that.” Stiles mumbled. “Not when I’m all sleepy and defenceless.”

“You don’t think it’s weird? That you’re my boyfriend –“ Derek flushed slightly as he uttered the word “- and I don’t know your actual name?”

“I don’t know your middle name.” Stiles pointed out, sitting up and scowling at him.

“It’s William.”

“No it isn’t.” Stiles crowed. “I’ve seen a copy of your driver’s licence.”

“When have you seen my licence? Which licence?”

“When my dad brought a load of work home with him one time. Saw your flashy eyed police mug shot too. What do you mean, which licence? How many do you have?”

“A few.” Derek admitted.

“I saw a copy of a New York one. That say’s you’re older than I know you are. No middle name on that.”

“It’s fake.”

“Well, duh. Why’d you have a fake licence when you were already 21? That seems a bit weird.”

“Didn’t want people knowing too much about me.” Derek shrugged. “Stop changing the subject. What’s your real name?”

Stiles sat upright, digging angrily in his pocket for his wallet and tossed his driver’s licence to Derek, who cocked an eyebrow as he read.

“How do you pronounce that?”

“See, this is why I don’t let people know my first name.” He complained. “No one ever knows how to say it properly. I get it wrong myself have the time and then I have to ask my baba how to say it. She gets mad when I forget.”

“Is it Polish? Why is there a little thing over the ‘e’?”

“No, Czech and I don’t know what the thing over the ‘e’ is or why it’s there.” Stiles took his licence from Derek, jamming it back in his wallet, which he tossed to the floor. “Stilinski is Polish though. Like four or five generations back. Happy now?”

“Very, Vo...”

“If you say it, or even try to say it, it won’t end well for you. There may be wolfsbane.”

“Point taken, Stiles.” Derek smiled, pulling him close again. “I can’t believe you don’t know how to pronounce your own name. You’re such an idiot.”

“I love that you think idiot is a term of affection.” Stiles laughed, slapping Derek on the chest.

“What?”

“What?” Stiles mimicked. “You call me an idiot all the time. You realise it’s actually an insult, right?”

“Not that. You said you love it...” Derek frowned.

“Dude, it’s a figure of speech. Don’t freak out.” Stiles laughed again, sitting upright and stretching. “I’m in serious need of something sugary to drink. Can we go to the 7-Eleven?”

“Both of us? What if someone sees us together?” Derek asked as Stiles pulled on his sneakers.

“It’s right down the street. Going to the 7-Eleven isn’t exactly outside of the realms of things we could do. It’s not like some couples exclusive thing. We’re not going to be naked or making out or anything. We’re going to buy soda, that’s it. Anyway, who’s going to see us there?”

“In this neighbourhood? Probably your dad or one of his deputies.” Derek muttered, reluctantly putting on his boots.

“Stop being paranoid. Hey, you could let me drive your car and then no one would see us walking down the block together.”

“No.”

“Why not? Everyone else gets to drive your car! Why can’t I? You’re meant to like me better than the rest of them.”

“Still no.”

“God, I really hate your stupid werewolf ass sometimes.” Stiles muttered as Derek shoved him out of the door. “Why are you so cruel to me?”

 


	27. Chapter 27

Stiles let out a little yelp of surprise as his dad came into the kitchen, thankfully keeping hold of his glass of milk.

“I thought you were working today?” He asked, his tone almost accusatory.

“I am. Double shift. Thought I’d come home for dinner.”

“So you’re working overnight again?” Stiles sat down at the breakfast bar, watching as his dad opened a tin of soup and tipped it into a pan.

“Yeah, sorry kid.”

“It’s ok.” Stiles replied, looking down at his empty glass. He knew his dad, along with all the other members of the local police force were pulling extra shifts to make up for the staffing shortages following the deaths of the officers a few months earlier and hated that he couldn’t explain to his dad exactly what had happened. He’d been toying with the idea of asking Scott to come round and start gently breaking the whole werewolf thing to his dad, but that notion had flown out the window when he realised that would also mean explaining how they knew Derek, and more specifically explaining why they all spent so much time hanging around with Derek. Derek related conversations were something he wanted to avoid for the time being while he worked out how he was going to tell his dad that his ‘mystery’ boyfriend and Derek were one and the same.

“Did you get up to much yesterday?” His dad asked as he stirred his soup.

“Not a lot.”

“Does not a lot involve being at the 7-Eleven on 10th Street?”

Stiles looked up sharply; his dad was still stirring his soup placidly.

“Uh, yeah. Boyd lives near there. How’d you know I was there?”

“One of my deputies saw you. Not with Boyd.”

“They report all my shopping habits to you?” Stiles asked, trying to keep any trace of nervousness out of his voice. He knew he had nothing to be particularly nervous about, but could see where this conversation was going and didn’t like it.

“When your shopping habits involve you associating with Derek Hale, yes.”

“I told you before, I know him. I’m not allowed to talk to someone if I bump in to them in the store?”

“The officer who saw you said you left with Hale.” His dad turned around and glared at him. Stiles returned the glare angrily.

“Left at the same time. We didn’t leave ‘together’. Seriously, don’t the police have better things to do than spy on me on your behalf?”

“You were not being spied on. Do I need to remind you that it was only a few months ago that Derek Hale was a wanted criminal? Because of statements made by you and Scott?”

“So?”

“So people are going to notice him. People are particularly going to notice if he’s associating with the Sheriff’s teenage son.”

“Stop saying associating. God, dad, we just happened to be in the same place at the same time. What I am supposed to do? Hide in the freezer until he goes away? He’s not a bad guy.”

“Is that so.” His dad sat down next to him at the breakfast bar.

“Yes.” Stiles snapped, getting to his feet. “Why do you have a problem with me talking to Derek but I can hang out with Isaac just fine? You’ve arrested him in the past as well. Remember? When you thought he killed his dad?”

“That’s different. Sit down.”

“I don’t want to sit down.” Stiles replied. He swallowed, realising that they way he was behaving was probably doing more to convince his dad of his guilt that anything else. “I told Scott I’d come over this evening and I need to take a shower.”

“And you’re definitely going to be at Scott’s?” His dad asked. “Not hanging out in convenience stores with Derek Hale?”

“Yes dad. Feel free to call his mom and check if you don’t believe me.”

“You don’t need to be sarcastic. I’m just trying to keep you safe. Hale’s name seems to crop up a lot when you and Scott are coming to the attention of the police.”

“Fine. I won’t go in any convenience stores if I think Derek might be inside them. Happy now?” He walked out of the room, ignoring his dad’s request for him to come back, storming into his bedroom and slamming the door.

**. o o o .**

Stiles swivelled his desk chair, feeling annoyed. He’d text Derek fifteen minutes ago, complaining about his conversation with his father and he still hadn’t replied. He heard his dad calling goodbye up the stairs as he went back to work, the front door closing behind him a few minutes later. He opened his laptop, staring idly at the blank screen when a noise on the roof outside his window made him look up, just in time to see his window start to slide open.

“You could have at least text me back to let me know you were coming over. What if my dad had been in?” He asked reproachfully as Derek climbed in the window. “I thought you were pissed off with me when you didn’t reply.”

“I came straight over after I got your message.” Derek sat down on the bed. “I thought you would have realised that.”

“Obviously not.”

“Don’t be mad at me. I didn’t want to go to the store with you in the first place.”

“So you’ve come over to say I told you so? Glad you could take the time out of your busy schedule.”

“Stop sulking.” Derek said, reaching forward and grabbing his hand. “I came over to make sure you were ok. You sounded pissed off in your message.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. So stop being a dick to me “

“Sorry.” Stiles pulled his hand away from Derek, moving to the bed so he could sit beside him. “I seem to be good at that, don’t I?” He asked, resting his head on Derek’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar, comforting smell of his jacket.

“Are you smelling me?” Derek teased. “Think you’re a wolf now?”

“Shut up. Your jacket smells good, is all. Thanks for coming over.”

“When’s your dad back?”

“Tomorrow morning sometime.” Stiles replied, fidgeting as Derek ran his hand up his back.

“Want me to stay?”

“Don’t you have wolf business to attend to?” Stiles asked, wanting to shake himself for being so stupid as he spoke. “Full moon and all that.”

“You want me to go?”

“Hell no. I just figured you’d have to be with the pack tonight in case they get into stupid wolfy shenanigans.”

“They’ll be fine.” Derek said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “They know to stay at the warehouse.”

“So when you say stay,” Stiles asked, resting his hand on Derek’s knee. “You mean like all night, right? In my room, with me?”

“No, in the backyard. Of course with you, you idiot.”

“Awesome!” Stiles smiled. “Does that mean....”

“No. Just sleeping.” Derek said tersely, raising an eyebrow.

“Spoilsport.” Stiles pushed him, succeeding only in moving himself further away from Derek.

 

**. o o o .**

“This is kind of weird.” Stiles said, pulling at his lower lip, watching Derek as he unbuttoned his jeans.

“You fell asleep on me in the woods and this is weird?” Derek asked in amusement.

“Well yeah, because I didn’t actually mean to fall asleep on you the other night and you were all warm and comfy and I was sleepy. This is different.”

“Because it’ll result in both of us being comfortable?” Derek asked, stealing one of Stiles’ pillows for his side of the bed. He held up a sad looking teddy bear between his index finger and thumb. “What’s this?”

“Give me that!” Stiles snatched the bear from him, placing it reverently on his desk. “That’s BearBear. My mom gave him to me when I was little.”

“It smells.”

“Well you’d probably smell too if you hadn’t been washed in eight years.” Stiles pouted.

“Why haven’t you washed it?”

“Because.” Stiles pulled a face, as though this were an acceptable answer.

“Because?”

“He hasn’t been washed since my mom passed away, OK? I used to take him to the hospital with me. If I wash him, I’d be washing away part of my mom.” He looked down at the floor, hoping Derek wouldn’t notice the tears in his eyes. “Lame, right?”

“No.” Derek reached for him, pulling him down onto the bed and into a tight hug, pressing a kiss against the back of his neck. “I had a toy like that when I was a kid.”

“You had a stuffed toy?” Stiles asked, wiping a tear from his cheek. “Did it wear a leather jacket too?”

“No.”

“What was it?”

“A rabbit.”

“What did you call it?” Stiles grinned, kicking the comforter down to the bottom of the bed, pleased to see Derek blush slightly.

“I’m not telling you that. You’ll use it against me.”

“Of course I will. But I bet you’ll do the same to me at some point, so it’s only fair.” Stiles shuffled around until he was lying down, and poked Derek in the rubs. “Go turn off the light. I’m all comfy now.”

“You’re all lazy you mean.” Derek muttered as he acquiesced.

“That too.” Stiles grinned as Derek lay back down beside him, their bare legs brushing. “This is so weird.”

“What is?” Derek asked, rolling onto his side to look at Stiles.

“That you’ve got legs.”

“That’s a pretty stupid comment, even by your standards.” Derek muttered, his frown easily visible in the moonlight, which shone brightly through the blinds.

“You know what I mean. You’ve always got your jeans on, or those sweats you wear when we’re hanging out in your apartment. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your actual legs before.”

“Stop being weird.” Derek sighed, leaning across and kissing him. Stiles laughed fleetingly, turning on his side and sliding closer to Derek, who reached down to pull the comforter over them both. “Why is this so thick?” He complained.

“I get cold easy.” Stiles replied, pulling the comforter away from Derek and snuggling in to it. Derek gave a short laugh and grabbed hold of Stiles’ hip, kissing him. Stiles moaned happily, opening his mouth eagerly as he felt Derek’s tongue brush his lips.

When Derek finally broke away, one arm draped lazily across Stiles’ side, he saw him regarding him with interest. He gave him a quizzically glance, watching as Stiles ran his fingertips over his swollen lips.

“What did you call your rabbit toy then?” Stiles asked, sending a mischievous grin in Derek’s direction.

“Velvet.” Derek muttered, hiding his face against Stiles’ shoulder in embarrassment. He growled quietly when he heard Stiles say “aww” as he trailed his fingers through his hair. “Shut up.”

 


	28. Chapter 28

Stiles woke, feeling too warm and confused about why this was the case. It was only when he felt the warmth of Derek’s breath on his shoulder and the heavy weight of his arm across his stomach that he remembered, smiling happily to himself in the darkness. He shuffled closer to the edge of the bed, searching for his cell phone and heard Derek groan unhappily as his arm slid off Stiles’ stomach. He abandoned his quest for his phone and moved closer to Derek.

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah.”

“I just wanted to see what time it was.” Stiles whispered as Derek buried his face against his shoulder.

“Time to go back to sleep.” Came Derek’s muffled reply.

“Can’t. I’m all awake now, and I’m too warm. And that last part is totally your fault.” He poked Derek gently in the arm. “If you fall asleep on me, I’ll be sad.”

“If you don’t let me go back to sleep, I’ll be sadder.”

“You’re always sad. Or always grumpy, at least, so it probably wouldn’t make all that much of a difference.” Stiles teased, screwing up his nose as Derek’s hair tickled his face.

“How do you do that?” Derek complained, moving back to his side of the bed and glaring at Stiles. “Go from fast asleep to wide awake in seconds?”

“It’s a unique talent.” Stiles grinned,

“Why do I have to suffer because of your ‘talents’?”

“Oh shut up. You’re awake now too. We might as well make the most of it.” He moved closer to Derek, resting his hand on his hip hesitantly, receiving a smile and a chaste kiss in response. “That’s not really making the most of it.” Stiles pouted, his hand moving quickly from Derek’s hip to the back of his neck, dragging him closer and kissing him hard, Derek responded immediately, fisting his hand in Stiles’ t-shirt, returning the kiss with a needy urgency that Stiles wasn’t used to; not that it stopped him from moaning hungrily as Derek sucked on his lower lip.

“Take your shirt off.” Derek whispered, his breath tickling Stiles’ cheek.

“Huh?”

“Take it off. You feel nicer without it.” Stiles blushed as he sat up, pulling his t-shirt off and dropping it on the floor. He lay back on the bed, breathing heavily as Derek ran his hand across his stomach and chest, coming to rest over his heart. He was watching Stiles in a slightly unfocused way, and Stiles realised suddenly that he was listening to his heartbeat. Derek shook his head slightly, his gaze becoming more focused.

“You’re not going to wolf out on me, are you?” Stiles asked nervously as the moonlight shining through the blinds illuminated Derek’s face. Derek shook his head again, pressing a kiss against his lips. Stiles wriggled happily as Derek pushed up against him, his kisses becoming more and more urgent, which Stiles enjoyed immensely, rapidly becoming painfully aware of exactly how much he was enjoying things, and how little his boxer shorts hid.

“Umm...Sorry.” He muttered, pulling away from Derek and hiding his face against the pillow.

“For what?” Derek asked, trailing his fingers through Stiles’ hair.

“You know.” Stiles nodded down towards himself, eternally grateful that Derek wouldn’t be able to see the furious blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Why?”

“You said just sleeping, nothing else and my dumb body seems to have other ideas.” He replied, wondering if he could suffocate himself with his pillow to avoid this embarrassment.

“It’s ok.” Derek leant over and kissed the side of his head, stroking the back of his neck until he looked up.

“It’s your fault anyway.” Stiles mumbled. “I can’t help it that you’re ridiculously hot and in my bed and kissing me like that.”

“Kissing you like what?” Derek asked, a small smile on his face.

“Like I do it for you too.”

“You do.”

“You’re not the one with an incredibly embarrassing underwear situation right now though.” Stiles pointed out. Derek laughed shortly, nudging at Stiles’ chin until he tilted his head back. Stiles bit back an anxious laugh as Derek grabbed hold of his hip, pulling him closer, his wrist brushing against Stiles’ erection through his underwear. He made a small noise of complaint as Derek stopped kissing his neck, quickly followed by a happy “oh!” as Derek moved further down the bed, planting hot kisses across his chest, fingers gripping his hip hard. A tense giggle escape from his lips as Derek’s stubble scratched over his stomach, feeling increasingly uneasy as the distance between Derek and embarrassing erection dwindled.

“Wait, what are you....” Stiles asked hurriedly as Derek grasped the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down. “Seriously, Derek, what....Oh!” His words were cut off suddenly as Derek’s eyes flicked up to meet his momentarily before lowering his head and suddenly his mouth was on Stiles, hot and wet. Stiles grabbed at the bed sheets, so blindsided by the thought that ‘holy shit, Derek Hale is giving me a blow job’ that he couldn’t focus on the feeling of Derek giving him a blow job for several minutes. When he finally got his head around the idea, he relaxed slightly, only to tense up again, arching his back off the bed as Derek did something obscene with his tongue. He reached out for Derek’s hair, wondering idly if he was actually allowed to touch it. He  threw caution to the wind and running his fingers through Derek’s hair. He pulled gently and moaned as Derek sucked and licked him, pushing him closer to the edge. He could feel his orgasm starting to build, a panicky feeling washing over him as he wondered how you were meant to warn someone that you were going to come in their mouth any minute. He settled for pulling harder on Derek’s hair and moaning his name. This didn’t seem to serve as quite the warning he’d hoped and a couple of minutes later, he watched in blissed out surprise as Derek gave a small grunt of surprise, swallowing keenly.

Derek looked up at him, pulling Stiles’ boxers back into their original position and smiling. Stiles thought he saw a fleeting hint of red in Derek’s eyes in the darkness, but it was gone before he could dwell on it.

“So.” He grinned stupidly as Derek lay back down beside him, dragging the comforter over their legs.

“So?” Derek asked, kissing him. Stiles screwed up his face.

“You taste weird now.”

“I taste like you, moron.”

“Exactly. That’s kinda weird.”

“I like it.” Derek replied, licking his lips obscenely.

“Freak.”

“Whatever. Can I go back to sleep now?” Derek asked, turning on his side. He moved closer to Stiles, one arm over his chest, his fingers just brushing Stiles’ bicep. Stiles sighed contently, blowing Derek’s hair away from his nostrils as he relaxed again, listening to the sound of Derek’s steady breathing until he fell asleep once more.


	29. Chapter 29

Stiles was woken up by bright sunlight streaming in the window. He reached for his phone and checked the time, pleased to see that it was only 6:40am and his dad wouldn’t be back for at least another hour. Derek was still fast asleep, lying on his front, his face half hidden against the pillow. Stiles snuggled closer to him, running his fingertips lightly over Derek’s shoulder until he opened one eye and glared at him.

“That tickles.” He mumbled, his voice thick with sleep as he closed his eye again.

“Sorry.” Stiles grinned, moving closer and kissing him. “So, uh, last night? All kinds of awesome.”

“For you maybe.” Derek muttered, rolling over and shoving the comforter to one side. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

“What? Yes you should. You should always do that to me!”

“No I shouldn’t. It was wrong.”

“So why did you?” Stiles asked angrily as Derek got out of bed.

“I don’t know.”

“Why is that your answer to everything?”

“It’s not. Look, I can’t explain it properly to you. It’s a werewolf thing. You just smelled really good and I sort of lost control a bit.” Derek paused to pull his t-shirt on. “It...the way you smelled made me feel like I was high or something, felt like I had to do it. Like I said before though, I shouldn’t have.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Shut up.” Derek said, sitting down beside him. “And stop making that face. I’m not doing it again.”

“Ever?” Stiles asked, sticking out his lower lip in a comical pout. Derek shifted uncomfortably, grabbing his jeans from the floor and rummaging in the pockets.

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll be all _Stiles_ about it.” Derek frowned. “You’ll do that thing were you talk in circles at me and confuse me.”

“Yeah, that’d be terrible, if we actually talked about things. When we could just sit here with you being all cryptic and telling me that I don’t get any more awesome blow jobs instead.” He pulled his knees up under the comforter and wrapped his arms around them. “And for the record, yeah, it was awesome. Not that I’ve got anything to compare it to, but wow.”

“Stop hinting.”

“I’m not! I’m telling you that it was great. You were great.”

“If you say so.” Derek muttered. “I need to go. Need to make nobody else did anything stupid last night.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no? That wasn’t a question.”

“I mean no, you’re not going. Look, I know you think I’m just hinting, or you find the whole thing stupidly awkward now it’s not dark and you have to look at me, but I kind of need to talk about this stuff.”

“What does being dark have to do with anything? I could see you perfectly well last night. Werewolf, remember?”

“Oh yeah. Hey, can you see better in the dark now you’re an alpha?”

“Seriously?”

“Right. Yeah. Talking. Not about eyesight.” Stiles fidgeted for a minute. “Just going to say exactly what I’m thinking, and well, if I catch on fire from the embarrassment, you’ll have to, I don’t know, stop, drop and roll me or something.”

“Will you be making more sense while you’re saying whatever it is you need to say?”

“Shut up. I know the whole sex thing kind of freaks you out, because of crazybitch, but dude, I really want to have sex with you at some point. Some point in the not too distant future.”

“I know that.”

“Oh goody. And here was me thinking you weren’t aware. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, or whatever, but that’s how I feel. ‘Cause I really, really like you. And you totally do it for me.” He rested his chin on his knees, frowning at the back of his bedroom door. “And I’m not asking you to like throw me down and ravish me right now or whatever, it’d just be nice to know that we’re on the same page.”

“Ravish you? Does anyone actually say that?”

“Stop deflecting. That’s my game. Can you please just answer the question?”

“Yes.” Derek mumbled, scowling at the floor.

“Yes what?” Stiles sat up, letting go of his legs so he could poke Derek in the back with his foot. “Use your words.”

“Yes, at some point in the distant future I might consider, you know.” A faint pink blush crossed his cheeks as he looked away from Stiles.

“Sex?” Stiles grinned.

“Yes.”

“You’re totally blushing.”

“You know what would be great? If you could stop making jokes about it.” Derek told him snarkily. “You know I don’t like talking about this stuff.”

“Sorry.” Stiles replied. “I get why you don’t want to talk about it, I really do.” He pushed the comforter aside and moved around to sit next to Derek.

“No you don’t. You think it’s just because of Kate. That I’m completely fucked up and broken because of what she did, right?”

“Just because you seem to think you’re broken doesn’t mean I do. And I don’t. Not at all. The fact that you’re sitting here having this conversation with me right now seems to support my theory that you aren’t broken.”

“You talk too much.” Derek muttered, as though this was an appropriate reply to Stiles’ comment. Stiles rolled his eyes, realising that Derek was shutting down the conversation.

“You knew that before you entered into this relationship. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”

“I should go. Your dad will be back soon, right?”

“In an hour or so, yeah.” Stiles sighed sadly, watching Derek put his jeans and sneakers on. “Can I at least ask one more question?”

“No.”

“Well I’m going to anyway. You said distant future. How distant?”

“I am not giving you a countdown to potential sex.” Derek scowled, pushing the window open.

“Oh come on! It’ll give me something to look forward to.”

“No.”

“By your birthday?” Stiles asked hopefully. Derek scowled again. “Thanksgiving? My Birthday? Before I finish high school?”

“I’m leaving now.”

“Before nuclear war breaks out and we all crumble to dust?”

“Definitely leaving. Also wondering why I’m with you again.”

“Ooh, you made a funny.” Stiles laughed happily as Derek climbed out of the window. He burrowed back down under his comforter, hugging the pillow that Derek had used tightly to his chest and burying his face in it before falling back to sleep for another few hours.

**. o o o .**

“Why do you have to turn up here reeking of Derek all the time?” Scott asked as he let Stiles in, wrinkling his nose.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because he’s my boyfriend.” Stiles replied, frowning at Scott as he kicked off his shoes. “I bet when you and Allison were together you stunk of her all the time. I was obviously just too polite to point it out.”

“You couldn’t smell it, you mean.” Scott laughed as they walked up the stairs to his room. “And that was different. Allison wasn’t anyone’s alpha. You don’t just smell like Derek, you smell like an alpha. Like I should be doing what you tell me.”

“You realise that makes no sense, right?” Stiles said, flopping down across the end of Scott’s bed. “You never do what Derek tells you to, so why would you do what I tell you to just because I smell of him?”

“I go hang out in his stupid warehouse and listen to him shout at us. You know everyone keeps asking me why you smell of him, right? People who can tell when I’m lying when I say I don’t know.”

“Why are they asking you?”

“Duh. They’re hardly going to ask Derek, are they?”

“Why is it always me that smells like him? Why is no one being like, hey Derek, you reek of Stiles.”

“He does. But, yeah, again, no one is going to say that to his face.”

“Awesome!” Stiles punched the air.

“What’s awesome? That Derek smells like you?”

“Hell yes. Even more like me than normal today I bet.” Stiles laughed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say he stayed at my house last night.” Stiles said, twisting around to look at Scott. “In my room. All night.”

“Please stop talking now.”

“You told me loads of stuff about Allison. I’m repaying the favour.”

“Is this your way of telling me you’ve, you know, had sex with him?” Scott asked, a pained expression on his face.

“What? No! We’ve only been together for a few weeks.” Stiles replied, scandalised. “I’ll just throw the words ‘blow job’ out there and leave it at that.”

“TMI.” Scott complained. “He made you give him a blow job?”

“Made me? OK, you’ve really, really got the wrong impression of Derek. For a start, he wouldn’t make me do anything I don’t want to, and secondly, no, _I_ didn’t give _him_ a blow job.”

“You mean he....oh!”

“There you go.” Stiles laughed as realisation dawned for Scott.

“That’s still more than I wanted to know.”

“You told me every time you had sex with Allison. And where. Why do you think I don’t sit on that chair anymore?” He gestured to the armchair on which Scott sat. “Me telling you I got my first ever blow job is hardly the same as you phoning me up at 8am to say ‘hey Stiles, me and Allison totally had sex again and she made really weird noises’.”

“First of all, I didn’t phone you at 8am, it was like noon or something. You were just still asleep. And she did make weird noises.” Scott’s phone beeped as he spoke; Stiles tried to grab it from the nightstand to annoy him, and failed miserably. “OK, that’s pretty spooky.” Scott muttered, reading a message. “Allison just text me.”

“Her ears must have been burning.”

“Uh-huh.” Came Scott’s non-committal reply. “Would you be totally offended if I went to see Allison?”

“What, now? I literally just got here. After you asked me to come hang out. I could have been in my nice comfy bed, thinking obscene thoughts about Derek.”

“I don’t want to know about your dirty thoughts. You can come back later this afternoon. Or hang out here for a bit, Isaac will be back soon. You can hang with him ‘til I come home.”

“Oh goody, I’m sure he’ll be just as thrilled about that as I am.” Stiles retorted.

“Don’t be pissed with me. She’s upset. Tomorrow would have been her mom’s birthday.”

“Her psycho mom. Who tried to kill you.”

“Who killed herself because your boyfriend bit her.” Scott snapped.

“Really? You’re pissed that Derek bit her? Would you rather be dead right now instead of her? He was saving your stupid, ungrateful ass!”

“I know that! But if you’re just going to sit there being pissy at me for not worshiping Derek like you do, then I’m definitely going to go see Allison.”

“You do that.” Stiles snapped back. Before Scott could reply, Isaac stepped into the bedroom, a concerned look on his face.

“Why are you two yelling? I could hear you halfway down the block.”

“Stiles is being a dick.” Scott muttered, crossing to his closet and extracting a pair of sneakers from the jumbled mess on its floor.

“You’re the one being a dick. Ditching me for Allison yet again.”

“I’ll see you later, Isaac.” Scott said pointedly, walking from the room. “You can do what you want with him.”

Stiles watched Isaac uncomfortably as they listened to Scott slamming the front door.

“Are you leaving or staying then?” Isaac asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

“I’ll go if you want.” Stiles muttered.

“You don’t have to. You can hang out if you want. I mean, we’re kind of friends, right?”

“If you say so.”

“What were you two arguing about?”

“I thought you  could hear us from down the block.” Stiles replied moodily, kicking the corner of Scott’s rug over.

“All I heard was something about Allison and you worshipping Derek.” Isaac replied, beckoning for Stiles to leave the room with him. Stiles scowled at Isaac’s back, slouching along the landing towards Isaac’s room.

“I don’t worship Derek.”

“I never said you did. You can sit down, you know.” Isaac perched on the edge of his bed, long legs folded beneath him.

“Scott’s just got this weird hatred of Derek.” Stiles grouched, sitting on the end of the bed. “I don’t get why. I mean, I know he’s pretty much a wolf version of grumpy cat, but he’s not really a bad guy.”

“I know that.”

“It’s totally Allison related. Got to be. ‘Cause Derek’s only ever tried to help him out, even if he is kind of a prick to him. Like he’s more pissed right now that Allison’s mom killed herself, supposedly because of Derek, rather than the fact that Allison’s mom straight up tried to kill him.

“You talk about Derek a lot.”

“Yeah, so I keep hearing.” Stiles snapped, feeling bad when he saw the hurt expression on Isaac’s face.

“He ditches me for Allison all the time too you know.” Isaac told him, a sad note in his tone.

“That’s because he’s a dickbag.” Stiles replied moodily, grinning when he saw the wry smile Isaac gave him.

“Maybe. I think they’re getting back together.”

“Urgh.” Stiles shook his head, as though he were trying to shake out the mental image. “I guess I better go.” He muttered, looking down at his watch.

“You don’t have to.” Isaac replied, looking up quickly. “We don’t just have to hang out when Scott’s with us. ‘Specially not if he’s going to keep ditching us both for Allison.”

“But you don’t like me. You think I’m annoying.”

“I don’t think that anymore.”

“Anymore?” Stiles pounced. “So you did think I was annoying before?”

“Only when you kept asking me stupid questions about lists and stuff.”

“Why don’t you have a list?”

“Because a) I don’t have a girlfriend, and b) I don’t want to sleep with any celebrities.”

“So who do you want to sleep with?” Stiles grinned.

“I’m not saying. It’d be weird. We both know them.”

“Them?” Stiles arched an eyebrow. “Why so gender neutral?”

“Huh?”

“You said them, not her. Or him.”

“Fine. We both know her.”

“Oh God! Do you have a crush on Allison?”

“What? No! She _stabbed_ me. Why would I have a crush on someone who tried to kill me?”

“I don’t know! She was the first girl we both know that sprung to mind.” Stiles tapped his chin thoughtfully. “OK, so it’s not Allison. Do we see her regularly or is it some random girl from school?”

“You think I know any girls from school?” Isaac asked sarcastically. “They all think I’m creepy.”

“You did used to dig graves as an after school job....”

“So you think I’m creepy too?”

“No! OK, so it’s not someone from school. That doesn’t really leave many people. I mean, the only other girls we see regularly are Lydia and Erica.” He watched as Isaac blushed. “It’s totally Lydia, isn’t it? I mean, I get it. I was in to her for the longest time and you did say that one time you liked her...”

“You ask too many questions. Why are you trying to get me to admit who it is?” Isaac asked defensively, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’m only trying to help! I’ve got good ears. You can say things and I’ll do the listening thing.”

“Yeah, and then you’ll do the telling thing.” Isaac muttered. “Where you can’t keep your stupid mouth shut and blurt it out to everyone.”

“Like you, you mean?” Stiles stuck out his tongue. “Remember that night at my house? When you told everyone about my Johnny Depp thing? You’re such a pot.”

“A what?”

“You know, kettle, pot, black.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. I was having a shitty day.”

“I know. Derek said.”

“Derek talked to you about my shitty day?” Isaac bristled.

“No. He just said you were having a shitty day. He didn’t say anything about what made it a shitty day.”

“Scott hasn’t told you?”

“Scott doesn’t tell me anything unless it involves Allison or complaining about my life choices.”

“The judge wouldn’t grant my emancipation. I mean, I’m totally grateful to Mrs McCall for letting me stay here, and it’s about a million times better than the group home. I just thought I’d only be here for a little bit.”

“Why’d they deny it?”

“He said I couldn’t prove that I could live independently, and that my plan to get an after school job wouldn’t be enough to pay rent and stuff like that.” Isaac spun his phone between his fingers distractedly. “He basically told me to try again in six months.”

“Shit man, that sucks. Sorry I was being a dick to you that night.”

“It’s ok.”

“You should have said something. I wouldn’t have been such a jerkass if you had.”

“You’d all have been weird about it.”

“Maybe. But I might not have told you to fuck off.” Stiles grinned. “So, back to the girl you like that we both know. It is Lydia, right?”

“I wish.” Isaac muttered. “That’d make things easier.”

“So if it’s not Allison or Lydia. Wait, Erica? You like Erica?”

“If you tell her, I will rip your throat out.” Isaac told him half heartedly. Stiles laughed it off; he’d been threatened with far worse things by  far scary people than Isaac over the last year.

“I’m not going to tell her. It’s just, huh. Erica. How long?”

“Remember that rave? When we gave Jackson the ketamine? And that girl got killed?”

“You know, when you it out loud like that, it sounds like the start to a bad after-school special.”

“She kissed me. When we were trying to get to Jackson. I know she didn’t mean anything by it, but it was like I suddenly saw her in a completely different way. Only now she’s with Boyd and it sucks.”

“That’s rough, dude.” Stiles muttered, leaning across the bed and patting Isaac awkwardly on the knee.

“Tell me about it. Hanging out with the two of them sucks, ‘cause she’s still all touchy feely and, well, Erica with me. I think she knows though; they seem to ditch me to hang out on their own much more these days.” He frowned at Stiles’ hand on his knee in a rather Derek like way.

“Maybe they learnt that from Scott.” Stiles muttered sourly, pulling his hand away from Isaac. “Is it some part of werewolf school? Learn how to ditch your friends and be a douche?”

“It’s not really being a douche though, is it?” Isaac replied. “You’d probably ditch Scott if you got a girlfriend.” He paused for a moment, looking at Stiles. “Or a boyfriend, right?”

“No.” Stiles folded his arms across his chest. “I can categorically state that I would not ditch Scott if I got a girlfriend or a boyfriend. You know why? Because I’m not a douche.”

“You’re just saying that because you haven’t got a girlfriend or boyfriend right now. I’d probably ditch Scott if I had a girlfriend.” Isaac admitted. Stiles pulled a face; there was no way he could prove Isaac wrong without telling him about Derek and so for once, kept quiet. “If Lydia turned up here right now and said she’d dumped Jackson for you, you’d be out of the door before you even realised what was happening.”

“Nah. I’m completely over the whole stalking Lydia like some creepy nice guy thing.” Stiles laughed, realising as he said the words that this was true and that he hadn’t really entertained any real Lydia thoughts since the night he drove his Jeep into Kanima-Jackson. “We should totally form our own club, for awesome people who aren’t friend ditching douchebags.”

“Or we could be happy for Scott that he’s getting back with Allison.” Isaac suggested, raising an eyebrow at Stiles.

“I like my idea better. I was going to design us a logo and t-shirts and everything!” He laughed when he saw the confused expression on Isaac’s face. “Dude, I’m joking. About the logo anyway. I still think we should form a club. Because we’re clearly the awesomest.”

“You’re so weird.”

“I know. You should just accept it and move on. Everyone else has. You wanna come hang out at mine? I’ve got much better movies to watch than Scott has.”

“If we hang out today, are you going to go back to ignoring me when Scott is around?” Isaac asked shyly.

“No! I know I was kind of weird when you first moved in here, but there was a lot of shit going on at home, and Scott had totally ignored me when I needed him. Maybe I blamed you for that a bit. Sorry.”

“S’ok.”

“Come on, let’s go to Casa de Awesome instead.” Stiles got to his feet, gesturing wildly for Isaac to follow him.

**. o o o .**

“I’m totally making you my new best friend.” Stiles told him a few hours later. “You’re much better at Black Ops than Scott.”

“You are not making me your new best friend.” Isaac replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. “You’ll make things up with Scott tomorrow and forget that I kick ass.”

“What? No I won’t.” Stiles looked away from the TV. “Dude, I want to be friends with you! Remember, how I tried that night at Scott’s and you kept acting like I was crazy or something.”

“You asked me to list all my favourite stuff. It was weird.” Isaac glanced at him. “And you just got killed again. I thought you said you were good at this.”

“Shut up.”

“Hey Stiles.” Isaac asked as they waited for a new map to load. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why does it smell like Derek in here?”  Stiles pursed his lips, keeping his attention on the screen, wondering how long it was going to be before one of the others connected the dots and figured out exactly why Stiles and his stuff always smelled of Derek these days.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've added an underage tag to this, seeing how Stiles got his jollys in the last chapter. I'm kind of on the fence about the underage thing; largely because I've grown up in a country where the age of consent is 16 and from personal experiences, don't find the idea of being 16 and being in a relationship with someone in their early 20's (Hoo...look at me just throwing out personal information there!). I've added this tag more for places where Stiles is still considered to be underage.


	30. Chapter 30

“What do you mean they’ve gone?” Derek demanded, pacing around the warehouse, kicking a broken desk chair out of his way.

“I mean they’ve gone. No longer in their hidey hole. Left. And not been there for some time, if I’m any judge.” Peter shrugged, snatching his laptop away from Stiles. Stiles stuck his tongue out and climbed onto the back of the couch, fighting the urge to kick Peter in the ribs as he did so.

“Do you have to put your feet all over the furniture?” Peter sniped, glaring at Stiles’ feet.

“Oh yeah, god forbid the couch you found in the trash get dirty.”

“So where’d they go?” Jackson asked, in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track.

“Hoping they left us a forwarding address?” Stiles asked sarcastically. “They’ve probably found out about some 75% off leather sale that they just had to get to. Why do you all wear so much leather anyway? Is it meant to be some kind of sign to other werewolves? Like bikers or something?” He flailed his arms around as he spoke, drawing a growl and a glare from Peter. “How do you not get werewolves and bikers confused? Are there werewolf bikers? ‘Cause that would make an amazing TV –” Before he could say anything else, Derek was behing him, his hand clapped over Stiles' mouth, as he leant on the back of the couch.

“No adderall today?” He asked quietly, his thumb twitching against Stiles’ cheekbone. Stiles shook his head, determined not to lean back against Derek’s chest, despite every fibre of his being telling him he should. He settled for licking the palm of Derek’s hand instead, frowning when he failed to remove it. “If they’ve just left and abandoned their lair, there must be a reason.”

“You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing.” Erica said. “And can I just say, I like this making Stiles be quiet thing.”

“It is a bad thing.” Derek replied, ignoring her comment about Stiles. “They’re powerful, more powerful than us. Something must have spooked them.” His thumb twitched again, brushing over Stiles’ cheek.

“It’s not like we can do much about it.” Scott sighed, looking from Stiles to Derek and raising an eyebrow. Stiles waggled his eyebrows at Scott in return, his grin hidden behind Derek’s warm hand. “If something has scared them off, it’ll show up sooner or later. Can’t we just be happy they aren’t around?”

“Why are none of you taking this seriously?”

“Because they’re not here, they’re not turning up and threatening us. This is a good thing.” Scott pointed out.

“Or it’s a ploy.” Peter suggested, looking down at his fingernails. “Maybe they just want us to think they’ve left so we let our guard down. Like so.” He grabbed hold of Stiles’ ankle, forcing his leg up. Stiles flailed his arms around to try and keep his balance, but failed miserably, falling back against Derek’s chest. Derek grabbed hold of him, moving his hand from his mouth to his chest, stopping him from crashing to the floor.

“You ok?” Derek asked, running his other hand up Stiles’ upper arm. Stiles looked up at him and nodded. Derek rubbed his arm again before looking up suddenly, as though he’d just remembered where they were and who they with.

“That’s why you always smell of him.” Erica said slowly. “There’s something going on between you two.”

“No.” Derek snapped, letting go off Stiles, who wobbled dangerously again, grabbing hold of the back of the couch. Derek rolled his eyes, putting on hand between his shoulder blades to steady him.

“There totally is.” Erica persisted, pointing at them. “Look at you. You’re touching him and you’ve both got really weird looks on your faces. I can’t believe I never realised. I knew you both liked each other. I thought you were still just dancing around it and not talking to each other about it!” She clapped her hands together and beamed at them.

“Shut up.”

“Are we seriously meant to respect your decisions as an alpha when you think Stilinski is a good choice?” Jackson said, voice dripping with derision.

Stiles’ “hey!” of indignation was drowned out by the angry growl emanating from Derek’s throat. Stiles looked up at him again, pulling away slightly when he saw Derek’s eyes were rapidly turning red, his fangs out.

“You growling at them like that doesn’t really make a compelling argument against it, you know.” Stiles whispered, spinning around on the back of the couch and standing in front of Derek, his back turned on the rest of the pack. Derek continued to glare at Jackson over Stiles’ shoulder; the snarling coming from behind him convinced him that Jackson had shifted as well. Stiles ignored it and cautiously reached for Derek’s hand, grabbing hold of his little finger. Derek immediately turned his attention from Jackson to Stiles, the red leeching from his eyes rapidly as his fangs became teeth once more.

“So, uh....” Stiles whispered, leaning close and squeezing Derek’s little finger briefly before letting his hand drop. Derek made eye contact with Stiles, staring at him intently. He gave a little shrug, tilting his head to side, a “what the hell” kind of gesture and reached for Stiles’ hand, He watched as Derek swallowed uncomfortably, tugging on Stiles’ hand until he moved to stand next to him, finally turning to look at the pack.

“I’m not sure why any of you think this – “ he raised his hand, dragging Stiles’ with it “ – is any of your business.”

“Because it’s cute!” Erica laughed, a huge smile on her face as she looked at Derek. “He’s liked you for ages, haven’t you Stiles?”

“Pretty sure he knows that, Erica.” Stiles mumbled, his cheeks growing hot as he blushed.

“But he’s Stiles.” Jackson sneered. “He’s a spaz and he never shuts up. And he’s human.” Derek let go of Stiles’ hand, crossing the warehouse quickly.

“And what were you before I gave you the bite?” Derek snarled, shoving Jackson backwards.

“Better than him.”

Derek shifted, grabbing Jackson by the throat and pushing him roughly against the subway car.

“Apologise. Now.” Derek growled, extending his claws against Jackson’s throat.

“Why should I?”

“Apologise. Or leave.” He tightened his grip further.

“Leave?” Jackson managed to choke out.

“You apologise or you leave. Not just here, today. You leave the pack.” Derek let go of Jackson who dropped to the floor, clutching at his throat.

“Sorry.” He muttered, not looking at any of them.

“You better be.”Derek snapped, turning from Jackson to glare at the rest of the pack, his arms folded tightly across his chest. “Anyone else have a problem?”

Stiles shifted awkwardly in the silence that followed, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor while he waited for someone to say something.

“Does this mean you’re going to tell your dad now?” Scott piped up, breaking the silence.

“You already knew?” Erica asked, turning on Scott. “Why didn’t you tell us? I’ve been asking you for weeks why Derek always smells of him!”

“Of course I knew!”

Stiles looked over at Derek, who was looking increasingly angry as Scott and Erica continued discussing them as though they weren’t in the room.

“Umm, you know we’re still here, right?” He said at last. “And that we can hear you.” Scott at least had the decency to look ashamed while Erica smirked at him.

“Good. Then you can hear this, why’d you keep it hidden from all of us? We’re meant to be friends.”

“Ask Tardar Sauce over there.” Stiles replied, jerking his thumb towards Derek who was scowling at them all from the door way of the subway car.

“Tardar Sauce?” Boyd asked, a confused look on his face.

“He thinks I look like that stupid cat.” Derek snapped. “The one from...Never mind.” He broke off, when he saw the looks the pack were exchanging. Not to mention the look of sheer glee on Stiles’ face, evidently impressed that Derek knew what he had been talking about.

“Please tell me you’ve never done it on that couch.” Erica teased, pointing to where Peter sat wearing a look of disinterest. “Because that’d be pretty gross. We have to sit there.”

“Of course they haven’t ‘done it’, as you so eloquently put it, on this couch.” Peter yawned. “They’ve got Derek’s apartment for that.”

“Apartment?” Isaac asked.

“The secret one he thinks none of us know about.” Peter clarified. “Right, Derek?”

“This is meant to be a pack meeting.” Derek huffed. “We’re here to discuss the Alpha pack, not my apartment or what me and Stiles might or might not be doing.”

“So you have got an apartment then?” Isaac probed.

“Yes.”

Stiles watched Isaac as he got up and walked away from the group, sitting down on the stairs that led to the outside of the building.

“Are you doing it in Derek’s apartment then?” Erica asked, skipping over to Stiles and grabbing his hands. He tried to pull away from her but was no match for her stupid werewolf strength.

“Erica. Enough.” Derek snapped. “Stop asking stupid questions. Either we discuss the Alpha pack or you lot go.”

“I’m just asking if you guys have done it yet!” She smirked at Stiles, baulking when Derek growled at her.

“Out. Now.” Derek grabbed hold of Erica’s shoulder roughly, dragging her towards the stairs. “Don’t come crying to me when you get mauled by an Alpha because you can’t take this seriously.”

“I am taking you seriously!” Erica protested, stumbling as Derek hurried her up the stairs and pushed her out the door. He turned back to the rest of the pack, glaring at them.

“Anyone else got anything to say?”

“Yeah, how about where’d Jackson go?” Stiles asked, twirling around on the spot as he looked for him.

“Maybe he didn’t appreciate being manhandled by Derek as much as you do.” Peter suggested. Stiles heard Scott stifle a giggle and turned to glare at him, which did nothing but make Scott laugh harder.

“This is getting stupid.” Boyd sighed as he got to his feet. “I’m going to find Erica.”

“I’ll come with you.” Scott exclaimed, jumping to his feet to chase after Boyd.

“Thanks a lot, McCall.” Stiles called after Scott’s retreating back. “You were meant to be giving me a ride home!”

“Think of this as payback for calling me a dick the other day!” Scott grinned, pausing on the stairs to look at Isaac, who kept his gaze fixed on the floor, ignoring Scott. “Anyway, your boyfriend can drive you home!”

“I hate you!” Stiles shouted as the door slammed shut. He threw himself down on the couch beside Peter who leered at him. “What do you want?”

“I misread you.” Peter smirked. “I assumed you wanted the bite, the way you constantly follow Scott into these ridiculous situations. You never wanted the bite though, did you? You wanted him.” He nodded towards Derek, who was scowling at the back of the door as though it had done him some grave, personal injustice.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Stiles shrugged, looking down at his hands.

“Eloquent as always.” Peter laughed, patting Stiles on the head and standing up.

“Patronising bastard.” Stiles muttered under his breath. He glanced at the stairs, where Isaac was still sitting, an unreadable expression on his face. Looking over at Derek, he saw him locked in a whispered argument with Peter, which seemed to involve lots of pushing Peter backwards on Derek’s part and a great deal of smirking on Peter’s. He rolled his eyes at the pair of them and went over to Isaac.

“You ok?” He asked, reaching out and grabbing Isaac’s shoulder when he didn’t respond.

“What?”

“I asked if you’re alright. You’ve gone all weird and quiet.”

“I can’t believe he had an apartment and never told me.” Isaac muttered, glaring in Derek’s direction. “I was in that shitty group home for a month before I moved into Scott’s. Why didn’t he let me stay with him?”

“Don’t know.” Stiles muttered, looking over at Derek. He was still arguing with Peter, but the tilt of his head suggested he was listening to every word Isaac had said. “Maybe he thought it was better for you.”

“Maybe he should have asked me that then.” Isaac replied sadly. “Anything would have been better than that place.”

“I think he knows that.”

“Whatever. I should go. Scott’s waiting outside.” He looked over at Stiles. “Don’t do the whole ditching your friends thing now, will you?”

“You realise me and Derek were together that day I told you I don’t ditch my friends, right?” Stiles asked as Isaac stood up. “I’m not going to ditch anyone.”

“I hope not.” Isaac gave him a small smile before exiting the warehouse, leaving Stiles alone with Peter and Derek.

 


	31. Chapter 31

Stiles followed Derek up the stairs to his apartment. The fact that the rest of the pack now knew about them was making him feel very odd, a feeling which hadn’t been helped by Derek not speaking to him on the drive over from the warehouse.

“You’re going to talk to me when we get in there, right?” He asked as Derek unlocked the front door, receiving a patented Derek Hale eye roll in response. “Don’t give me that look. It’s not _my_ fault they found out.”

“You’re saying it’s my fault?” Derek snapped, stomping across the apartment, throwing his jacket through the open bedroom door.

“Hey, you were the one with your hands all over me and that ‘Ooh, Stiles, you’re so pretty’ look on your face. You can’t blame me for that.” Stiles sat down on the couch, pulling off his sneakers and twisting round to rest his feet on the cushions. Derek scowled at him.

“I did not have a ‘you’re so pretty’’ look on my face.”

“You totally did. I thought you were going to kiss me at one point.”

“I wanted to.” Derek admitted, sitting down and draping one arm across Stiles’ bent knees. Stiles grinned at him.

“I particularly liked the part when you threatened Jackson. He looked like he was going to crap his pants.”He leant forward, grabbing hold of Derek’s hand. “Are you mad that they know?”

“Not really.”

“So does this mean I’m allowed to touch you and stuff in front of them now?”

“If you must.”

“You sound so excited about that.” Stiles pulled a face.

“I’m not really in to public displays of affection.” Derek muttered. “We know what we mean to each other. Why do you need to prove it to them by being all over me?”

“Because in case it’s escaped your notice, you’re insanely hot and very touchable.”

“So are you.” Derek said quietly, rubbing his thumb over the back of Stiles’ hand. “But I manage to control myself.”

“I’m not hot.” Stiles blushed. “I’m a, what was it Jackson said, a spaz.”

“I think you are.”

“Well then you’re wrong.” Stiles looked around the apartment, paying such interest to the kitchen that Derek turned to look too. “You know, we’re not in public right now. You can go for a display of affection.” He grinned.

“Is that all you think about?”

“No. It’s just what I’m thinking about right now.” Derek rolled his eyes but lay back against the arm of the couch anyway, trying to pull Stiles down on top of him. Stiles pouted, refusing to move. “Why always with the couch?”

“No bedroom.”

“Oh come on, I’ll keep my jeans on this time. No awkwardness.”

“No.”

**. o o o .**

“Did you prefer it when your eyes went blue when you shifted?” Stiles asked, studying Derek’s green eyes closely. He was lying half on Derek’s bare chest, alternating between lazily kissing Derek’s chest and vocalising all the random thoughts that came to mind, but definitely not mentioning the fact that it had only taken him twelve minutes to convince Derek to give up the couch and go in to the bedroom.

“What?”

“You know. Your eyes used to go blue when you wolfed out, now they go red. Which do you prefer?”

“It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about.” Derek yawned.

“I liked when they went blue. Not that red is bad.” He added.

“Good to know.”

“How come you’ve never gone full alpha like Peter did?”

“Why are you always talking?”

“I don’t know. I just think these sort of things all the time. I can’t exactly Google some of this stuff.”

“How about you stop asking me stupid questions and go back to kissing me.” Derek suggested, running his hand over Stiles’ back. Stiles laughed happily as he obliged, lightly brushing his lips against Derek’s.

Derek moved his hand from his back, lacing their fingers together. Stiles didn’t pay much attention; he was far more interested in the feel of Derek’s tongue slipping into his mouth and the soft moans he made when he sucked on his lower lip. Derek moved his arm, resting it on the bed beside his head, keeping a tight hold on Stiles’ hand. Stiles pulled away from the kiss and looked at him, a relaxed smile on his face.

“I feel kind of like I’m pinning you down or something.” Stiles laughed, rubbing his nose against Derek’s, wondering if he’d ever stop feeling thrilled about the fact that he could do things like that.

“You can if you want.” Derek replied shyly, squeezing Stiles’ hand.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Stiles untangled his fingers from Derek’s, watching him with interest as he wrapped his hand around his wrist, holding his arm against the bed. He felt Derek tense his arm, and tightened his grip on his wrist as he lowered his head to kiss him again, shivering when Derek nipped at his bottom lip.  He stopped for a minute to look at Derek, taking in his kiss swollen lips and the slightly desperate look in his eyes, surprised that he could make anyone look that way. He grinned wickedly, shifting around until he could grab Derek’s other wrist as well, leaning in as though he was going to kiss him again, but stopping a few inches short. Derek made a whining noise, lifting his head and attempting to kiss him. He shook his head, amazed to see a sad look cross Derek’s face as he stopped trying to kiss him and lay back against the pillow.

He pressed a kiss against Derek’s jaw, wrinkling his nose at the feeling of his rough stubble against his lips before following the line of Derek’s throat with hot, fleeting kisses. Derek made some pathetic attempt at moving his wrists; given that he could easily push Stiles away from him and clean across the room if he wanted to made the way he was submitting even more surreal. Stiles sucked hard on his neck, wondering if it was possible to give someone a hickey when they could heal themselves in seconds with their crazy supernatural skills.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked, his breathing heavy.

“Seeing if I can give you a hickey.” Stiles explained before trying again.

“Seems like you’re just teasing me.”

“No, I really am trying to give you a hickey.” Stiles watched in annoyance as the light mark he’d left on Derek’s neck disappeared. “Your body is so stupid.” He lowered his head again and gently bit Derek’s neck, feeling very pleased with himself when Derek moaned softly, twisting and arching his hips towards Stiles.

**. o o o .**

 “Can I ask you something?”

“I’m starting to think there isn’t a way to stop you asking me things.” Derek mumbled, sitting up a little and yawning.

“How come you don’t act all alpha-y with me when we’re on our own?”

“I told you before, I don’t like pushing you around.”

“Yeah, but there’s not pushing me around and then there’s being all, I don’t know, submissive with me.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Nope.” Stiles grinned at him. “Although I wouldn’t mind if you returned the favour sometime....”

“Maybe.”

“I hate you and your maybes. Why can’t you ever just give a straight answer for once?” Stiles teased, poking Derek in the ribs. “This is like that whole sex conversation again.”

“You just don’t like waiting for things.”

“Well, duh. For the record, I also don’t like having to go home and jerk off in the shower because you get me all, you know.” He blushed, wondering why he felt the need to say these things to Derek. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t need that mental image. Of me. In the shower.” He slapped himself on the forehead. “Oh my god, brain, shut up.”

“You think I don’t do the same thing?” Derek asked.

“You jerk off in my shower too?”

“Stop being stupid.”

“Sorry, I have to make jokes about these things. I can’t sit here and listen to you tell me things like how you jerk off in the shower.”

“You just told me you do that.”

“That’s different. I’m completely open to the idea of us having the sex, which, by the way, would negate the need for either of us to go home and jerk off in the shower. You’re the one that’s all weird about it.”

“Shut up.”

“Why don’t you want to have sex with me? Some part of you must want to if you’re having sexy shower time after I’ve gone.”

“Because you still scare the hell out of me.” Derek admitted, running his fingers through Stiles’ hair, fingernails lightly scraping against his scalp.

“And I still don’t get how I’m the scary one in this relationship.” Stiles replied, snuggling in closer to Derek, pleased that Derek hadn’t gone straight to ‘because you’re sixteen’ as a reason.

“You’re so...I don’t know how to describe it. Like when you tell me how much you like me, like it’s no big deal and it’s the easiest thing in the world to say. That scares me. Because it’s really difficult to say it back.”

“Maybe you don’t like me as much as I like you.” Stiles suggested.

“No.”

“Is no your default response? I was just suggesting it.”

“Well it’s not true. Just because I don’t say it all the time doesn’t mean I don’t think it. It’s just it’s difficult to say it to your face sometimes.”

“So if I wasn’t looking at you, you could say it more easily?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“OK, I get that, I guess...What’s that got to do with us having sex?”

“Because. You’ll look at me the same way you did that night I stayed at yours.”

“Blow job night, you mean.”

“Of course you’ve named it that. Why wouldn’t you. Yes, that night.”

“How did I look at you?”

“Stop trying to get me to explain things I can’t explain properly. You just get this weird, intense look on your face. If we sleep together or whatever, it’ll just make that worse.”

“I really don’t get you sometimes.” Stiles sighed, running his hand over Derek’s abs. “I’m not going to give you the weird eye if we have sex. Might give you the ‘holy hell, that was awesome, do it again’ eye...”

“You’re making it worse.” Derek complained. “You’ve got this idea that sex is going to be amazing and magical or something. What if it’s not?”

“Then it’s not. And we’ll get over it or try again until it is awesome and, what was it, magical. I’m pressuring you or something right now, aren’t I?”

“I don’t know. Can we just leave it at I do want to have sex with you, I’ve just got a lot of things, feelings, I need to deal with before I’m on the same page as you?”

“If that’s what you want, yeah.”

“You’re pissed with me now, aren’t you?”

“Not pissed, no.” Stiles replied contemplatively. “Just wondering how long I have to stay for now, because you saying things like ‘I want to have sex with you’ to me is really making me, uh, need a shower.”

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, to make up for the fact that lots of people had already read the last one when I cocked up the other day!! :/

Stiles glowered at his phone as he lay on his bed. Scott had phoned him three times already since he got back from Dr. Monkton’s office and he’d ignored all three calls. He sighed to himself as he answered the phone.

“ _Bout time! I’ve been phoning you all afternoon!_ ”

“I was busy.”

“ _How come you didn’t come to the pack meeting today?_ ”

“I was busy.” Stiles muttered. “Had to go see Dr. Monkton. Why did you keep trying to phone me?”

“ _Peter’s gone. He didn’t show up to the pack meeting today and when me and Boyd went to the house with Derek, all his stuff was gone._ ”

“What am I meant to do about that?” Stiles asked.

“ _Nothing. That’s not why I’m calling. I’m calling about Derek. He flipped out, like seriously flipped and drove off. We don’t know where he’s gone._ ”

“Flipped out? How?” Stiles sat up abruptly, trying to pull his sneakers on with one hand.

“ _He punched Boyd. And punched the wall a bunch of times. And drove off like a crazy person. We were going to go look for him but we still don’t know where his apartment is._ ”

“I’ll go find him. Do you guys need him to come back or something?”

“ _Uh, no. Especially not if he’s going to be punching people. Just, uh, when you do find him, don’t tell him the other thing._ ”

“Other thing?”

“ _Oh right, you don’t know either. Jackson’s leaving. He told us when we got back from the house. Apparently he was going to tell Derek at the end of the meeting. His parents are all like concerned about him since the whole getting resurrected thing. He’s going to boarding school. In Connecticut or someplace like that._ ”

“Why’d you have to tell me that?” Stiles groaned as he got into his Jeep. “Derek’s totally going to read my mind and find that out now.”

“ _He can’t read minds._ ”

“Says you. I’ll call you later, if he doesn’t murder me.”

“ _He won’t murder you. He’s too in to you to murder you. He wouldn’t shut up about you today._ ”

“Whatever.” Stiles replied, starting the engine, filing Scott’s comment away for things he’d pick apart later. “I’ll talk to you later.”

**. o o o .**

“Derek, it’s me. Let me in.” Stiles called as he hammered on the door, wondering why he felt the need to announce himself; after all, Derek would have heard the Jeep pull up and would definitely be able to hear his heartbeat through the door. When the door failed to open, he banged on it again. “Come on, stop being a butthole!”

“Go away.” Derek opened the door a crack and glared at him.

“What? No! I just committed a ton of traffic violations to get over here this quick! I’m not just going to leave because you’ve got a case of being a sad panda.” He pushed futilely on the door.

“I don’t care.”

“Urgh, you’re such a liar. Let me in.” He pushed on the door again, earning him a scowl.

“Why?”

“Stop being so difficult. I’m worried about you and I don’t really want to have a conversation through a crack in the door.” He watched as Derek scowled at him again before looking at the floor and sighing dramatically. He walked away from the door, leaving Stiles to assume that he was invited in.

“Why weren’t you at the meeting?” Derek asked accusingly, his arms folded across his chest as he frowned at Stiles.

“You know why. I had an appointment with Doctor Monkton, I couldn’t get out of it.”

“Scott told you, didn’t he?” Derek demanded. “About Peter?”

“Yeah. That’s why I came over. I was worried about you.”

“So you wouldn’t have come over if Scott hadn’t told you?”

“What? I don’t know. I’ve kind of had my own stuff to deal with today. Therapy, remember?” Stiles scowled as Derek made a noise of disgust in his throat. He sat down on one of the couches, running his hand over his face. “I get that you want to be angry about this, but it’d be nice if you didn’t take it out on me.”

“I’m not.”

“You sure about that?” He watched as Derek paced back and forth across the room, clenching and unclenching his fists, thinking how just a few months ago, this little display of Derek anger would have been pretty scary. Now it was just heartbreakingly sad.

“Sorry.” Derek muttered flatly.

“Could you at least stop pacing? I’m starting to feel dizzy.” He reached out and grabbed Derek’s wrist as he passed. “Please?”

Derek shook his hand off and resumed his angry laps of the room. Stiles sighed and got to his feet, standing in Derek’s path and grabbing his upper arms when he tried to brush past him.

“Let go of me.”

“No. Why are you being pissy with me?”

“Because you weren’t there.”

“Derek, you knew I couldn’t come today.”

“But I needed you.” Derek muttered, avoiding Stiles’ eyes.

“What?”

“I needed you and you weren’t there.”

“You needed me? So you could’ve punched me instead of Boyd?” Stiles asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“What? No, I wouldn’t have punched you. I just...things would have been easier if you were there.”

“Sorry.” Stiles replied, sliding his hands down Derek’s arms to rest them on his hips.

“I’m fucking up again, aren’t I?” Derek asked, wrapping his arms around Stiles’ shoulders and burying his face against his neck.

“You’re not a fuck up. Peter’s just...he’s Peter. I’m surprised he’s left it this long to do something back stabby.” He squeezed Derek’s hip briefly before moving his hand to his lower back, rubbing calming circles through his t-shirt. “Hey, what if he hasn’t decided to leave?” He suggested tentatively. “What if the Alpha pack took him?”

“He’s gone of his own free will. He wouldn’t let himself be kidnapped. He might not be an alpha anymore but he’s still powerful in his own right.” Derek muttered, pulling away from Stiles and resuming his pacing.  Stiles rolled his eyes and sat back on the couch, figuring that Derek would eventually sit down when he was ready.

“So we’re firmly set on Peter leaving being a bad thing?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Yes!” Derek snapped.

“OK, but I’ll be honest, I’m not going to miss his creepy, patronising bastard routine.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh good, we’re back to shut up. Are we having a fight?” He asked, scowling at Derek.

“No.”

“Sure about that?”

“Yes.”

“Because this feels like a fight.”

“We’re not having a fight.” Derek barked, throwing himself down on the couch beside Stiles and putting his feet up on the coffee table. “Look, it’s not just about Peter going off with the Alpha pack, or whatever’s happened.”

“It’s not?” Stiles asked, screwing up his nose. “What’s it about then.”

“Family.” Derek muttered, quietly enough that Stiles wasn’t sure at first that he’d said it.

“Family? He’s hardly demonstrated his skills as uncle of the year.

“That’s not the point. He was the last person left  from my family, my old pack.” Derek sighed.

“But he’s a dickbag!” Stiles exclaimed. Derek glared at him.

“You think I don’t know that? I just don’t get...I don’t get why everyone fucks off and leaves me.”

“I haven’t left you.”

“Not yet.” Derek sighed, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.

“What do you mean not yet?” He shuffled closer to Derek, cautiously putting his hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to! You’re stuck with me now, buddy.”

“I hope so.” Derek said sadly. Stiles hugged him tightly, trying to pull him closer and reassure him. When Derek refused to move, he got off the couch to kneel down in front of him, putting one hand on his knee.

“Look, I don’t know why you think I’m suddenly going to up and leave you, but I’m really, really not. I like you and I want to be with you. Right now it feels like nothing is going to change that.”

“Right now?” Derek pounced on the one phrase Stiles’ had hoped he would miss.

“Yeah, right now. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future. We might get brutally murdered by the Alpha pack next week. Or Jackson might revert to being a skeezy lizard monster and murder us. Or I might go off to college and you might meet someone way better than me while I’m away. I have no idea what’s going to happen next week, never mind next year or whatever. I just know that right now, I’m not going to leave you. I’m not sure if I could, ‘cause I’m seriously in to you and not being with you would fucking suck.” He squeezed Derek’s knee for emphasis. “OK?”

Derek gave brief shrug, watching Stiles’ hand for a minute as though it might bite him, before finally covering it with his own.

“OK.”

“Good.” Stiles grinned up at him. “Hey, you know, while I’m down here, there’s a favour from last full moon I should probably repay...”

“No.” Derek yanked him up by his arm.

“God, you ruin all my fun.” Stiles pouted, flopping down beside Derek on the couch and letting himself be pulled into a hug. “Do you think I’d be really bad at it? Is that the problem?”

“Stop talking.”

“Make me.”

“No. You’ll make me get off the couch.”

“Oh shut up. You hate making out on the couch as much as I do. Don’t make me use my awesome powers of persuasion on you, Tardar Sauce.”

“Stop calling me that. I don’t look like that cat.”

“Stop being sulky then.”

“I’m not. I’m just not really in the mood for that right now, I still feel kind of shitty.”

“Christ, I’m not going to jump you or anything! Come on, you’ve got a stupidly comfy bed. All I’ll do is hug you, I promise.” He pulled away from Derek and stood up, holding out his hand. Derek rolled his eyes dramatically but grabbed hold of Stiles’ hand anyway, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

“Fine.”

“So enthusiastic. Don’t you just know how to make someone feel wanted!”

Derek reached out with his free hand, covering Stiles mouth as they walked into the bedroom.

“Stop talking so much. I’m too tired for you talking at me.”

“Sorry.” Stiles pulled Derek’s hand away from his face, sitting down on the bed. “I’ll try and be quiet.”

“Good.” Derek lay down, pulling at Stiles’ t-shirt until he fell back beside him. To Stiles’ surprise, Derek moved over immediately, resting his head on his chest and sliding his hand across his stomach, pulling him close. He wrapped his arms around Derek’s shoulders, hugging him tightly and kissed the top of his head, screwing up his nose when Derek’s hair tickled his face.

“Derek?” He asked after a few minutes.

“You’re talking.” Derek muttered, lightly pinching Stiles’ stomach.

“Sorry. I was just wondering...what do I smell like to your crazy werewolf nose?”

“You smell like you. I can’t really describe it.”

“Try. Scott’s rubbish at this sort of thing. He told me I smell like grass.”

“Scott’s not great at a lot of stuff. You smell like lots of different things. I mean I can tell when you’ve taken your tablets or not, ‘cause they smell sort of chemically, like how blue would smell.”

“How blue would smell? That doesn’t make even the slightest bit of sense.”

“Not to you. I can’t really explain it properly. Some smells just make me think of colours I guess.”

“OK...so the tablets are blue. What colour do I normally smell like?”

“Purple.”

“But how do I actually smell?”

“You smell like all the stuff anyone would smell of. Like soap and sweat and stuff like that. And you kind of smell like candy even if you haven’t eaten any, and yeah, I guess kind of like grass, but like the sort you get in meadows or something, not like a lawn.” He yawned against Stiles’ chest. “I really can’t explain it properly, so unless you want me to bite you so you can understand, you might as well stop asking.”

“So does everyone else smell of colours too? Scott and Isaac and everyone?”

“I don’t really focus on them as much. Isaac kind of smells sort of greeny-blue, but I don’t think about it as much with the others.”

“That’s so cool. I guess it’s kind of like synesthesia, right?”

“Maybe.” He yawned again, slightly louder and more pointedly. Stiles took the hint and fell silent, running his fingertips across Derek’s upper back. Derek made a little noise of contentment, tracing small figures of eight on Stiles’ stomach as the room grew darker as outside the window, the sun started to set.

After a long time, in which he was sure he must have nodded off at least once or twice, Stiles checked his watch, noting sadly that it was nearly 9pm already. He shifted slightly, realising he would need to leave soon and that this was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Don’t go.” Derek said quietly; Stiles raised his head slightly and looked at him. Derek had been so quiet for the last half an hour that he assumed he’d fallen asleep.

“Hmm?”

“Stay here tonight.” He tightened his arm around Stiles’ stomach. “Please.”

“But my dad...”

“Tell him you’re at Scott’s.”

“OK. Let me go phone him.” Stiles nodded, pushing Derek’s arm away from him. “I’ll be like two minutes.” He added when he saw panicked look Derek gave him. “I promise.”

**. o o o .**

“What did he say?” Derek asked when Stiles walked in to the bedroom, frowning when he saw the look on his face.

“Like you couldn’t hear all that. I was right outside the front door.” Stiles said reproachfully.

“I tuned it out.”

“You can do that? Why don’t you do that when I’m talking too much and bugging you?”

“I just don’t. You can stay, right?”

“Yeah, but he asked if I was really at Scott’s or if I was ‘my boyfriend’s’. I’m starting to think he might have a little bit of wolf in him, ‘cause he always seems to know when I’m lying. So yeah, he knows I’m not at Scott’s and he’s not exactly mad happy about it, but he’s OK with me staying.”

“Good.”

“Pfft. Good? I’ll probably get a sex talk tomorrow now. There was a pointed comment about separate beds.”

“You’ll live.”

“I might not. I might die of embarrassment before I ever get to use the knowledge I learn from said horrifying sex talk.”

Derek rolled his eyes, pulling Stiles down beside him again.

“I’m glad you’re staying.”

“Me too.” Stiles replied as Derek cuddled up against him again. “Just promise you won’t break my neck or something if I start waking you up in the night by kicking you or something. Scott says I fidget a lot in my sleep.”

“You fidget all the time. Why would you be any different when you’re asleep? Anyway, I knew that already from when I stayed at your house that time.”

“Oh yeah, _that_ time.” Stiles grinned. “That awesome night.”

“Stop hinting.”

“Fine. Are you going to freak out if I take my jeans off though? ‘Cause I seriously can’t sleep in jeans.” Stiles asked, fiddling with the button of his flies.

“Why would I freak out?”

“Because you’ll think it’s another hint or whatever.” Stiles rolled off the bed and struggled out his jeans.

“As long as nothing else is coming off.” Derek muttered, flashing him a small smile.

“Do I have to remind you who sucked whose dick that night?” Stiles grinned wickedly.

“No, you really don’t. But I wish you would stop talking about it all the time.” Derek complained, reaching down for the blankets at the bottom of the bed and throwing them over Stiles. “Just so you don’t start complaining that you’re cold.” He clarified as Stiles stuck his head out from under a blanket.

“Good to know.” Stiles laughed, snuggling up to Derek and kissing him gently. Derek sighed contentedly, draping an arm across Stiles’ side and pulling him closer.

“Wish you could stay more often.” Derek said quietly.

“So I do I. I know you’ve only stayed at mine that one time, but I kind of miss you when you’re not there now.” He blushed as Derek made eye contact with him and smiled. “I’m getting worried now. I think we might be approaching Scott and Allison levels of sappiness. Quick, do something manly to resolve it!”

“No.” Derek leant over and kissed him, rubbing his nose against Stiles’ briefly. Stiles laughed, shuffling closer to Derek.

“I guess you looking like you is manly enough to counteract the sap.” He ran his hand over Derek’s stubble. “So you’re not cross that I wasn’t at the house earlier now?”

“No.” Derek replied, his expression clouding briefly. “I was kind of a jerk to you before. Guess I’m just used to you always being around.”

“Getting in the way and endangering you and the rest of the pack, you mean.”

“You do seem to be disturbingly good at that.”

“It’s an enviable talent.” Stiles grinned. Derek laughed shortly, pressing his forehead against Stiles’ collarbone and yawning. Stiles fell silent, fighting back the urge to run his fingernails over Derek’s back as he yawned again, his breathing changing a few minutes later as he fell asleep.

Stiles couldn’t say for certain when he nodded off, Derek curled around him, but vaguely remembered waking up at some point in the night to hear Derek whimpering softly in his sleep. Stiles ran his hand soothingly over his back and neck, making gentle shushing sounds in what he hoped was a comforting way until Derek went quiet again.

 


	33. Chapter 33

“I decided something last night.” Stiles said, resting his chin on Derek’s bare shoulder. He was sitting on the worktop in the small kitchen, Derek leaning back against the counter between his legs.

“Decided what?” Derek asked as he drank his coffee and pulled a face. “Why do you put so much sugar in everything? This is disgusting.”

“You don’t have to drink it.” Stiles pointed out, running his fingers up Derek’s ribs and beaming widely when he flinched.

“Stop that.” Derek batted his hand away. “Tell me what you’ve decided.”

“It’s nothing bad.” Stiles replied, leaning away from Derek slightly and tracing the spirals of his tattoo with his finger. “At least I don’t think it’s bad. I don’t know if you will or not.” He tilted his head on one side, looking at Derek’s back. “Maybe I should get a tattoo.”

“Stiles.”

“Huh?”

“What have you decided?”

“Oh yeah. I decided that I love you.”  He smiled again as Derek put his hand on his knee and squeezed lightly.

“You can’t just decide that you love someone. That’s not how it works.”

“That’s how I work, so you’ll just have to deal with it. And I don’t mean that I decided right this second. More like I’ve decided I should tell you. I know it’s not been that long, but I do.” Stiles leant forward, pressing a kiss against the nape of Derek’s neck. “I’m not expecting you to say it back or anything, I just wanted you to know.”

Derek leant to one side, setting his coffee mug down before grabbing Stiles’ hands and pulling him forward. Stiles leaned in, hugging Derek tightly, arms around his stomach.

“I want to, you know.” Derek said softly, lacing his fingers together with Stiles’.

“Want to what?”

“Say it back.” Derek looked down at the floor. “Because that’s how I feel about you too.”

“So say it.” Stiles told him between light kisses to the back of his neck.

“Love you.” Derek whispered. Stiles smiled hugely, hugging him even more tightly.

“Turn round and say it?” He asked, his lips against Derek’s ear. Derek shook his head and squeezed his hand tightly. Stiles sighed quietly.

“Not yet.” Derek muttered, looking down at the floor. “Sorry.”

“S’ok.” Stiles grinned, gently biting the back of Derek’s shoulder. “But you can’t stop me saying it to you! Consider this me giving you fair warning! ‘Cause I’ll probably say it all the goddamn time now.”

“I hate you.” Derek teased affectionately.

“No you don’t. You love me.” Stiles teased back, enjoying the feeling of Derek laughing against him.

“Are you ever going to tell your dad? About me?” Derek asked, pulling away from Stiles and grabbing his cup of coffee.

“Do you want me to tell him?” Stiles asked.

“Everyone else knows.” Derek shrugged, drinking more of his coffee and screwing his nose up at it. “Maybe we should tell your dad.”

“Everyone else only knows because you just can’t control yourself around me.” Stiles grinned. “And I don’t think that’s how I want my dad to find out!”

“You’re scared to tell him, aren’t you?”

“Not scared, no.”

“Ashamed then.”

“Pretty sure it’s you that should be ashamed to be seen with me.” Stiles pouted, drumming his heels against the cupboard. “It’s just kinda weird. He’s personally arrested you before.”

“Yeah, and whose fault was that?” Derek asked.

“Look, let’s not focus on who got arrested because of who.” Stiles grinned. “Or when I’m going to tell my dad. Let’s just focus on the fact that, hey, you love me!”

“Stop being stupid. I’m being serious about you telling him. It’s been two months now. You should tell him.”

“57 days.”

“What?”

“It’s been 57 days. Well, 57 days since we’ve, you know, been exclusive or whatever.”

“So how many days has it since ‘the epic talk’?” Derek smirked. Stiles scowled at him, wondering why he’d even mentioned the phrase “epic talk” to Derek in the first place considering how often he’d mocked it since hearing it.

“I don’t know.”

“Liar.”

“73. Why can’t you remember things like this yourself? Why is it my responsibility?”

“I do remember, I just like hearing you say it.”

“You’re such a loser. Look, I will tell my dad, I promise. It’s just telling him means admitting that I lied about a whole lot of little things. Like how I told him I knew you from school and that you’re in the grade above us.” Stiles frowned when Derek rolled his eyes. “What was I meant to say? Your actual age? He’d freak out.”

“He’s going to freak out more about the fact that it’s me though, isn’t he.” Derek asked sadly, pouring the last of his coffee down the sink and rinsing the mug.

“Probably.” Stiles admitted, hopping off the counter and wrapping his arms around Derek’s waist. “Sorry.”

“You know that  the longer you leave it, the worse it’ll be when he does find out.” Derek told him, folding his arms and pulling away from Stiles’ hug. “Because he will find out sooner or later. It’s only going to take one little comment from Scott or Isaac or someone and he’ll work the rest out.”

“I know that.” Stiles pouted. “Look, can we have this fight next week? ‘Causes I’ve only got four days of sweet, sweet freedom left and I’d really like to spend them doing fun things, not fighting.”

“What fun things did you have in mind?” Derek kept his arms crossed, begrudgingly allowing Stiles to hug him again.

“Why do I have to be the ideas man? You think up some fun things! Things that don’t involve many clothes, for example! Because I particularly like the nothing but sweats look on you, although I’m pretty sure wearing your pants that low is considered indecent exposure.” He slipped his hand under the waistband of Derek’s sweats and grinned at him. “But they make do it easier for me to grab your butt.”

“My sweat pants are indecent but your SpongeBob boxers are just fine?” Derek asked, pulling Stiles’ hand out of the back of his sweats.

“My SpongeBob boxers are awesome and you know it. Anyway, I’m not wearing SpongeBob, remember?” He pulled the waistband of his jeans forward and down to reveal his underwear to Derek.

“Good. SpongeBob makes me feel like a creep.” He cocked an eyebrow at Stiles.

“Well that’s a little ridiculous, considering how SpongeBob stays on at all times.” Stiles pouted, snaking his arms back around Derek’s waist so he could press his forehead against his shoulder.

“You said you didn’t want to fight.” Derek pointed out. “If you start with that you’ll end up trying to fight with me again.”

“Fine. I’m just saying, it’d be nice if SpongeBob and your obscene sweats came off sometime soon. ‘Cause that one time my boxers did get to come off, or down or whatever, awesome!”

“So you keep saying.” Derek reached behind himself, pulling Stiles’ arms away from his waist. “Now stop talking about it before you get yourself all worked up and make my apartment smell.”

Derek’s idea of doing something fun turned out to be lying on the couch together, watching back to back episodes of Fringe. Not that Stiles was complaining; anything that involved Derek’s arm around him, fingers trailing absent mindedly through his hair was fine by him. He watched the screen distractedly, pressing kisses against Derek’s collarbone and smiling to himself every time he remembered Derek saying that he loved him. He ran his hand over Derek’s stomach and along the waistband of his sweats.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked drowsily, not looking away from the TV.

“I like your happy trail.” Stiles grinned, following the line of hair with a fingertip.

“You like trying to get your hand in my pants, you mean.” Derek muttered as Stiles slid his hand below the waistband. Stiles felt his arm tense around him and glanced up to see an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I’m behaving myself, aren’t I?” Stiles moved his hand across to Derek’s hip, away from ‘oh God, I might accidently molest you’ territory, sighing against Derek’s chest.

“I’m not sure you actually know how to behave yourself.” Derek complained, turning away from the TV just long enough to kiss Stiles on the forehead.

 


	34. Chapter 34

“Hey dad, I’m home!” Stiles called as he slammed the front door.

“Come in the kitchen for a minute.”  Came his dad’s reply.

“Dad, I don’t need a sex talk.” He complained as he walked into the kitchen.

“I was going to give you the it’s 4pm and you haven’t been home since lunch time yesterday talk. Are you doing something that makes you think you need the sex talk again?”

Stiles pulled a face as he sat down at the breakfast bar, stretching one arm out in front of him and resting his head on it.

“No. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve recovered from last time you tried to give me the sex talk.”

“That was different. That was about girls.”

“Oh my god. I don’t need the sex talk with gay flavouring.” Stiles exclaimed. “I’m not having sex! Not even close! I just stayed at his place.”

“His place?”

“His parent’s house.” Stiles back tracked.

“I’m really not comfortable not knowing his name, you know.” His dad said, leaning on the breakfast bar. “Especially if you’re going to be staying over at his house.”

“Da-ad.”

“Don’t dad me. I’m serious. How long have you been with him now?”

“Two months-ish.” Stiles mumbled.

“And you don’t think it’s weird that I still don’t know his name?”

“Not really.”

“And what about your boyfriend? Doesn’t he think it’s strange that I don’t know his name or that I haven’t met him? Have you met his parents? Considering you stayed at his house last night, I certainly hope you have.”

“Yeah.” Stiles replied sadly; he’d gone out of his way to find Derek’s family’s graves last time he’d gone to the cemetery to put flowers on his mom’s grave after he’d found out that Derek had never been to visit their graves. He hadn’t told Derek that he’d been to look at the graves; no amount of offering to go with him to the cemetery for moral support had convinced him that he should go to see them and it made him more than a little sad to think of Derek’s parents lying there with no one coming to visit them. He looked down at the surface of the breakfast bar, aware that his dad was watching him intently.

“What’s that?” His dad asked suddenly, twitching Stiles’ shirt collar to one side. Stiles sat up abruptly, clapping a hand over his neck.

“Nothing!”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” His dad frowned. “It looks like someone’s been sucking on your neck. I distinctly remember telling you separate beds.”

“I stayed in the guest room.” Stiles lied. “You don’t have to be in bed with someone to get a hickey.”

“It looks tacky.”

“Which is why I was trying to keep it covered up with my shirt. It’s not exactly a big deal.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a little sex talk refresher?” His dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I really, really, really don’t.” Stiles replied, getting to his feet. “I’m going to go and hide in my room now and hope that when I come out, you won’t try and talk to me about this again.”

“Stiles. I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe.”

“Not listening!” He walked out of the room, jamming his fingers in his ears as he ran up the stairs.

**. o o o .**

“Can I come hang out at yours?” Stiles asked as he put his sneakers on. “I might actually die of embarrassment if I stay at home.”

“ _Why, what have you done now?_ ” Scott asked on the other end of the phone. “ _And yeah, come over any time. It’s just me here. Isaac’s gone out some place with Derek._ ”

“Huh. I’ll be over in five.” Stiles hung up the phone, hurrying down the stairs with a brief shout of “I’m going to Scott’s!” before his dad could question him further. As he backed the Jeep out of the drive, he felt a small twinge of jealousy; Derek hadn’t mentioned anything to him about hanging out with Isaac when he’d text him earlier to complain about what he’d personally dubbed hickey-gate. He was still scowling about it when he pulled up outside Scott’s a few minutes later.

“What’s up with you?” Scott asked, jumping down from the porch railing where he’d been sitting. “You look weird.”

“I’m fine.” Stiles muttered, spinning his keys round his finger. “I just had to get out of the house before my dad talked to me about sex more.”

“You got the sex talk again?” Scott laughed, beckoning for Stiles to follow him back to the house. “Does he know about Derek now?”

“No. He still doesn’t know the name of my ‘mystery boyfriend’ as he keeps calling him. Just I stayed at Derek’s last night so apparently I needed the talk when I came home. But with extra “there’ll be more penis involved” than last time I got talked at.”

“I bet it wasn’t that bad.”

“Dude. He talked about lube.” Stiles complained, kicking off his shoes. “It was persistent and horrifying. I tried to hide in my room from it, but he followed me and talked more.”

“I still think mine was worse. At least your dad isn’t a nurse. I got told about all the diseases, remember?”

“Ergh. Can we please play Halo or something, anything, to help me bleach my brain?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks dude. I think I might have imploded with mortification if I’d stayed at home for much longer.”

“So...uh. You’re still not having sex with Derek then?” Scott asked, busying himself with starting up the Xbox.

“Oh my god. Why is everyone so obsessed with me having sex?! You know Erica text me yesterday morning asking if Derek’s ‘done me’ yet?” He took the control pad Scott was holding out to him. “And more to the point, why is everyone all ‘Oh, Stiles, has Derek fucked you yet?’. Why does everyone assume it’s going to be that way round?”

“Because he’s an alpha werewolf who’s much older and stronger than you?” Scott suggested, screwing up his nose in distaste.

“So? Don’t you ever watch porn? Derek being bigger than me has absolutely nothing to do with who’s, you know, top or whatever.”

“I don’t think we watch the same kind of porn anymore.” Scott laughed. “Can we please play Halo now? Because I’m starting to want to bleach _my_ brain.”

“Anyway,” Stiles continued, ignoring Scott. “It’s different for us to everyone else. I mean, everyone else we hang out with. Derek’s older than me, if we have sex and my dad finds out, Derek could get arrested.”

“So don’t have sex with him then. Or wait until you’re 18.” He glanced at Stiles. “Or go some place where you’re allowed to have sex when you’re 16 and do it there.”

“Because having Derek drive me to Nevada so we can have sex is much less illegal than just ignoring the fact that I’m underage.”

“I’m just trying to help.” Scott replied. “Hey, does Derek know about Jackson yet?”

“I haven’t told him. He was still kind of freaked out about Peter when I went over yesterday. I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“Think he’s going to be mad when he finds out?”

“Probably. Maybe not as bad as he was about Peter, but I doubt he’s going to be pleased.” He looked over at Scott. “Where’s he gone with Isaac anyway? He never said he was going to hang out with him.”

“Dunno. Maybe he feels guilty about the whole not telling Isaac he has an apartment thing.”

“Probably. He always feels guilty about stuff. It’s like his base state.” Stiles said sadly. “Hey Scott, can I ask you one thing about me and Derek, without you complaining?”

“I don’t know. That depends on what you’re going to ask.”

“You know when you first had sex with Allison? It made things better between you, right? Like you were closer after?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Scott replied, making an obvious effort not to frown. “Why are you worried about what’ll happen with you two if you have sex?”

“I guess, yeah. I mean I think it’ll be awesome and make us closer and stuff, but Derek’s kind of weird about it.”

“That’s ‘cause he’s Derek. He’s all angry and trust issue-y all the time.” Scott shrugged. “Why would he be any different when it’s to do with sex?”

“He’s not like that with me though.” He hesitated for a minute, wrapping the cord of the control pad around his fingers. “I told him that I love him earlier.”

“For real? Did he say it back?” Scott paused the game and looked at him expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah he did.” Stiles smiled, laughing when Scott leant over and high fived him.

“That’s pretty cool, even if it is Derek.” Scott turned away again, restarting the game.

“I still don’t get how your wolfiness improved all your senses and stuff but you still suck at Halo.” Stiles complained. “You know Isaac is like 5 million times better at FPS games than you, right?”

“I’m not that bad.” Scott complained, looking up suddenly and leaving his character to die on screen.

“I just heard Derek’s car. They’ll be back any minute. Want to go wait outside for them?”

“Are you asking me if I want to see Derek?” Stiles laughed, throwing his control pad down on the floor. “Of course I want to see him.”

Stiles clambered onto the porch railing, swinging his legs as they waited for the Camaro to round the corner.

“Don’t tell Isaac what I just told you, will you?” He asked, glancing up at Scott. Scott shook his head, raising a finger to his lips and nodding to the corner of the street. The Camaro appeared with a hint of tyre squeal, coming to an abrupt halt behind Stiles’ Jeep.

“Quit driving like a jackass!” Stiles called from the porch, grinning hugely when Derek got out of the car and gave him the finger. He leapt off the railing and crossed the lawn, watching Derek as he leant back against the side of the car. Now he was standing in front of him, with Scott and Isaac watching, he wasn’t sure what to do. After a few seconds, he copied Derek and leant on the car too.

“Have you been hanging out at the mall with Isaac?” Stiles grinned, pressing up against Derek’s side. “You smell like a Hollister store.”

“I do not.”

“Uhh, yeah you do. I can smell that stink with my boring human nose. How did you even cope going in there?” He moved to stand in front of Derek, leaning against him and wedging his hands in the pockets of Derek’s jeans. “Why’d you go to the mall with Isaac when you wouldn’t go with me the other day?”

“Because Isaac wasn’t trying to make me go in Hot Topic to watch him buy underwear with cartoon characters on.”

“Oh come on. As if you’ve never shopped in Hot Topic. Look at you.”

“Look at me what? I haven’t been in there since I was 14.” He caught hold of the front of Stiles’ flannel shirt, pulling him closer and kissing him. He pushed one leg between Derek’s, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss when he heard a pointed cough from behind them.

“Do I have to watch this in my own front yard?” Scott asked when Stiles turned around. “It’s kind of gross.”

“Yeah, and I need to get my stuff from the trunk.” Isaac chimed in, grinning over Scott’s shoulder. Derek rolled his eyes and pushed Stiles away, stepping around to the back of the car to unlock the trunk.

“I’ll remember this next time you ask me to give you a ride to the mall.” He grumbled as Isaac grabbed several bags.

“Can I come over tomorrow?” Stiles asked, hooking two fingers into the pocket of Derek’s jeans and stepping closer to him as he shut the trunk.

“I told you before, you don’t have to ask permission.” Derek sighed as Stiles pressed up against him and kissed him again, ignoring the sounds of disapproval coming from Scott and Isaac.

“Love you.” Stiles muttered, leaning close to Derek’s ear before pulling away to chase after the others.

Derek leant against the car watching the three of them walk up the lawn and back into the house, smiling when Stiles turned to wave at him before following Scott and Isaac into the house. He finally got back into the car when he saw the front door close, pulling his phone from his pocket and texting “ _love you too_ ” to Stiles before he drove off.

 


	35. Chapter 35

Jackson finally broke the news to Derek that he was leaving Beacon Hills the Sunday before they were all due to return to school, demanding to speak to Derek alone after the pack meeting and losing his temper when Stiles refused to leave his side.

“Look, it’s not my choice to leave.” Jackson snapped as Derek glared at him. “My parents are making me go.”

“And what do you thinks going to happen if you lose control at your fancy new school?” Derek demanded. “How hard did you fight to stay?”

“You think I want to go? To leave Lydia and my friends? There’s nothing I can do about it!”

“I don’t believe you.” Derek snapped, pacing around the smaller room. Stiles watched him anxiously from his seat on an old desk. “I don’t believe for one minute that you tried to fight. You’ve made it clear from the outset that you don’t want to be part of this pack. That you only stayed because you were scared of being on your own.”

“And you’ve made it pretty clear that you only wanted me in your pack to boost your own power.” Jackson countered.

“So?”

“So? That’s all you’ve got to say? And you’re surprised that I’m not part of the Derek Hale fan club?”

“What do you want me to say, Jackson? That I bit you because I thought you’d be an asset to my pack? That you’re a special little snowflake and I respected that? I bit you to shut you up.”

“Look, I’m not abandoning the pack.” Jackson said, changing tactics. “I’m going to Connecticut. I’ll be back during winter and summer vacation and stuff.”

“Just get out Jackson.” Derek shouted, turning his back and folding his arms across his chest. Jackson glanced over at Stiles who shrugged. “And Stiles? Stop doing that stupid ‘he’ll change his mind face’ right now.”

“I wasn’t doing any face!” Stiles exclaimed, watching Jackson slam out of the room. Derek spun around and glared at him.

“You knew, didn’t you? That’s why you insisted on coming in here with us.”

“Scott told me.” Stiles admitted, looking down at the floor. “The other day. They all knew already.”

“Why didn’t you say something then?”  Derek demanded, coming to a halt in front of Stiles and scowling at him.

“Don’t be mad at me. It was that day you flipped out about Peter. You were already upset. What was I meant to say, ‘oh yeah, by the way, Scott says Jackson’s ditching the pack too’? Yeah, that’d have gone down really well.”

“You could at least have given me a heads up.”

“Sorry. I’m here now though. That’s better than nothing, right?” Stiles asked as Derek continued to glare at him.

“I guess.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, OK? Would you have been happier now if I had? Honestly?”

“Probably not, no.” Derek sighed, unfolding his arms and stepping closer to Stiles. “You didn’t need to follow me in here though.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Stiles smiled, hooking one leg around the back of Derek’s knee to try and get him to come closer to him. Derek raised an eyebrow, but moved forward to stand between Stiles’ legs, his hands resting on his shoulders, smiling when Stiles leant forward and pecked him on the lips.

“You know what sucks?” Stiles asked, shivering happily as Derek stroked the back of his neck with his thumb. “School starts back tomorrow which means I can’t come hang out at your apartment as much.”

“At least I’ll get some peace and quiet.”

“Peace and quiet is seriously overrated and distinctly not awesome. You know what is awesome? Me being in your apartment and making out with you.” Stiles grinned, jamming his hands into Derek’s back pockets. “Can you at least pretend you’re going to be a bit sad about me not being there as much? Pander to my fragile ego?”

“No.”

“No you won’t pander or no you won’t be sad?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Derek smirked, pulling Stiles’ hands out of his pockets.

“Well, yeah! That’s why I’m asking!” Stiles pouted, jumping off the desk as Derek walked away towards the warehouse exit. “Come on dude, I’m very delicate. I need to hear positive things all the time or I’ll wither and die!”

“No you won’t.”

“I might.”

“No you won’t.” Derek came to a standstill between their two cars and smiled at Stiles, reaching for his hand.

“So...Can I phone you after school tomorrow at least?” Stiles asked leaning against his Jeep. “You know, if you’re going to be all unbothered about not seeing me.”

“Who said I wasn’t bothered?” Derek asked, stepping closer to Stiles, pushing him back against the Jeep, hands on either side of his hips. “Of course I’m going to miss you being there, you idiot.” He closed the gap between them and pressed a kiss against Stiles’ lips. 

“Good.” Stiles smiled when Derek finally pulled away. “Although I’m not sure I’m going to miss constant stubble rash.” He teased, patting Derek on the cheek.

“You will miss it.” Derek leant closer and rubbed his cheek against Stiles’ own, giving him a wicked grin.

“Urgh! Get off me, you asshole!” Stiles complained, trying to pull the Jeep’s door open and wriggle out of Derek’s clutches at the same time. Derek laughed quietly, rubbing his cheek against Stiles’ jaw one last time before he let him go, following it up with a light brush of his lips. “Just so I’m clear,” Stiles asked, rubbing at his jaw with an annoyed expression on his face, “was that you just being a jerk or were you like marking me as your property?”

“Can’t it be both?” Derek asked, stepping back so Stiles could climb into the Jeep.

“That’d be about right for you.” Stiles replied through the open window. “It’s a good job you’re pretty enough to make up for it.”

“If you say so. Now go away.”

“Yes sir!” Stiles gave a mock salute before leaning out of the window to give Derek one last kiss. “I’ll phone you if I make it out of the torture chamber tomorrow, yeah?” He asked as he turned the key in the ignition. Derek nodded, stepping away from the Jeep and watching him as he drove away.

**. o o o .**

“I am allowed to phone you and complain about school stuff, right?” Stiles asked, wandering around his bedroom.

“ _Why wouldn’t you be?_ ”

“I don’t know, thought it might be too much of a reminder that your boyfriend is only a high school junior.” Stiles replied.

“ _Well you saying it like that is a pretty big reminder. What stuff are you complaining about?_ ”

“That I’ve got Harris for Chemistry again this year and he flat out hates me. And I got called into the principal’s office already.”

“ _You’ve been back for one day. How have you managed to get called in to the principal already?_ ”

“It wasn’t even my fault. Isaac kept talking to me in chemistry and Harris blamed me. And then this stupid new principal was reading my file and started going on about why am I not in any AP classes when my grades are so good and telling me I need to start thinking about college and stuff. Why do I need to think about college now? It’s not for another two years.” He paused to turn his laptop on. “I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next week, never mind in two years.”

“ _Why aren’t you doing AP classes? You’re smart enough._ ”

“Because I don’t want to. I’m not even sure I want to go to college anyway. What did you want to do in college?”

“ _College? Mostly I just wish I’d got to finish high school._ ” Derek huffed on the other end of the call. “ _You should think about it. You’ll probably regret it if you don’t go._ ”

“Maybe.” Stiles replied, sitting down in his desk chair and doodling on a sheet of paper. He didn’t want to admit to Derek just yet that the reason he wasn’t sure about college was because it would mean leaving Beacon Hills, and by association, Derek, and thought it was probably slightly creepy to tell someone you were re-thinking your entire future based on a relationship you’d only been in for two and a half months.

“ _Are you getting bored of talking on the phone now?_ ” Derek asked.

“I was drawing.” Stiles laughed, looking down at the goofy wolf he’d drawn on the paper. “Sorry. You know what else sucks about being back at school? That I’m expected to like go places and do stuff all day. I want it to be summer vacation again so I can just hang out in your apartment and do fun stuff.”

“ _You can still hang out. Just not all day. Which means it’s nice and quiet here._ ”

“Oh shut up. You totally miss me being there. I bet watching Fringe on your own sucks. Who’s going to explain stuff to you if I’m not there?”

“ _I don’t ask you to explain Fringe to me. You just assume I want to hear your running commentary._ ” Derek laughed.

“Yeah well I miss being there even if you don’t miss me.”

“ _Want me to pick you up after school tomorrow? You can hang out here for a bit then._ ”

“It’s not the same.”

“ _So you’re saying no?_ ”

“Hell no. Come pick me up. And then while you’re there, you can maybe slam Erica’s head against the car or something so she stops asking me about my sex life, or lack thereof.”

“ _I’m not slamming anyone’s head against anything. Just ignore her and she’ll get bored._ ”

“You suck, you know that? I get it all the time from her, because they’re all too scared to ask you if we’re having sex or not. Shouldn’t I get a little bit more respect from them now? ‘Cause I’m their alpha’s boyfriend and everything?”

“ _Yeah, but you’re still you at the end of the day._ ” Derek teased. “ _So..._ ”

“Urgh. You seriously suck.”

“ _If you say so. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon._ ”

“Hey, you know how you could make it up to me?” Stiles asked suddenly. “You could let me drive your car!”

“ _I don’t think so._ ”

“Oh come on, I’ll love you even more if you let me drive it!”

“ _I’m not letting you behind the wheel of my car. Ever._ ”

“I hate you. Everyone we know has driven your car. You let Boyd drive it all the time. Why aren’t I allowed?”

“ _You’re just not. And you don’t hate me, you love me._ ”

“Shut up. You’re not suppose to use that against me like that.” He glared at his laptop, his history assignment task open on screen. “I better go. I’ve got to do a ton of research for this stupid assignment I’ve been set.”

“ _You mean you’re going to get on Wikipedia and start following every weird link you find until it’s 4am and you phone me up to tell me all about insane asylums in New Jersey again?_ ”

“Get out of my head.” Stiles laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right? After school?”

“ _Right._ ”

“Awesomeness. Hey Derek?”

“ _Yes Stiles, I love you too._ ”

“How’d you know what I was going to say?”

“ _Because you won’t stop saying it now._ ”

“Yeah well I do. Stop being a mind reading dickface! See you tomorrow.” He hung up the phone, smiling stupidly to himself as he looked down at the ‘Stiles <3s Derek’ he scribbled around his little wolf picture.

 


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More words folks! In which Stiles may finally get found out >.>

“You better not do anything that’ll make me regret this.” Derek said, slamming the car door closed and frowning at Stiles. After several weeks of hinting, commenting and sheer badgering, he was finally being allowed to drive Derek’s Camaro.

“You let Isaac drive all the way to Oregon in your precious and you’re worried about me driving up one stupid little road?” Stiles pouted, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Maybe you should think of this as a nearly three month anniversary gift!”

“Isaac doesn’t get distracted by stupid things, and his reactions are much better than yours.”

“I don’t get distracted by stupid things!” Stiles exclaimed, forcing himself not to look at the constantly changing display on the radio, or the crow he could see out of the corner of his eye, hopping along the side of the road.

“Right.” Derek replied, raising an eyebrow. “Just start the damn thing, before I change my mind.”

Stiles grinned hugely, revving the engine, the back end of the car sliding across the road as he pulled away. He glanced sideways at Derek, smiling again when he saw the grim look on his face and pushed down harder on the gas pedal.

“Stop looking at me and watch the road.”

Stiles took a corner at speed, veering widely across the road before he got the car back under control, accelerating hard as the road straightened out again. He started to laugh at the scowl on Derek’s face, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of his seat when the horrifying sight of blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror appeared, cutting his laughter short.

“Oh shit, shit, shit!” Stiles cursed, braking sharply and pulling over to the side of the road. “Shit! Quick! Swap seats with me!” Derek looked at him as though he was stupid.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Stiles felt nauseated, his own knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on the wheel, dreading the inevitable knock on the window, which came far too soon.

“Oh fuck!” He blurted out when he rolled down the window and saw who was knocking on it. “Erm. I mean, hey dad.”

“Out. Now.” His dad snapped, wrenching the car door open. Stiles reluctantly climbed out of the car, surprised to see Derek do the same.

“Did I ask you to move?” His dad shouted at Derek. “Stay there.”

Stiles was even more surprised to see Derek do as he was asked, but before he could  think anything more of it, he found himself being rudely frogmarched towards the police cruiser, his dad keeping a firm hold on the handful of hoodie that he had grabbed preventing him from turning around.

“In.” The back door to the cruiser was opened. Stiles swallowed nervously as he was pushed in to the back; this was not good. He turned in his seat and watched as his dad stormed back to Derek’s car.

Out of the back windscreen, he could see his dad apparently shouting at Derek and wished, not for the first time, that he had super werewolf hearing. Derek was standing with his head bowed, nodding and shaking his head occasionally. After five minutes or so, Derek got back into his car, glancing over at the police car. Stiles watched as his dad glared at Derek, watching as he started the engine and turned the car around, driving back towards town. Stiles turned around quickly as his dad started walking back to the car, feeling the first waves of anxiety start to wash over him.

“How about we start with the basics.” His dad said tersely as he got in the front of the car. “Like why you think it’s appropriate to be doing 95 in a 40 zone.”

“I didn’t realise how fast I was going.” Stiles poked his fingers through the metal grill separating him from his dad and leant forward. “Do I have to sit in the back?”

“Yes. Now let’s try why you were doing 95 in a car you apparently can’t keep control of, and aren’t insured to drive.”

“I asked Derek if I could drive it.” Stiles said, figuring that he might as well try for a little bit of honesty. “It’s a nice car.”

“And why are you even in a position to be asking Derek Hale if you can drive his nice car in the first place?”

“We’re...friends.” Stiles muttered, looking down at his hands, annoyed to feel himself blushing.

“I don’t believe you.” His dad replied, turning away from Stiles, resting his hands on the steering wheel.

“Well that’s the truth.”

“Is it? Really? I’ll tell you what I think, shall I? I suspect that Derek is the boyfriend you’ve been hiding from me these last few months.”

 Stiles said nothing, glaring down angrily at the floor of the car.

“Your silence speaks volumes Stiles.”  

“I was going to tell you.” Stiles muttered, staring out of the window. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes. “Getting caught speeding wasn’t exactly how I planned to do it.”

“I don’t care if you planned to tell me or not. It’s not right. You’re sixteen, Stiles. Derek is what, 21?”

“22 actually.” Stiles snapped before he could stop himself.

“Well that’s much better.” His dad replied sarcastically. “Either way, this little thing you’ve got with Derek? It’s illegal and it stops. Now.”

“What, it’s illegal to hang out with someone now?”

“Stop trying to be smart. It’s not the hanging out that concerns me and I think you’re well aware of that.”

“We’re not having sex, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Think what you want. I know we’re not, that’s for sure." He winced, realising he’d given away more information about his sex life, or lack thereof, than he particularly wanted to. “Anyway, if this was Nevada, or England or Canada or whatever, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation because it wouldn’t be illegal. Not that we’re doing anything illegal anyway.”

“Well you’re not in England or Canada or Nevada, are you? You’re in California and it is illegal.”

“I’m not having sex!” Stiles shouted, slamming his hands down on the seat angrily. “I bet if we were talking about me being with a girl you wouldn’t be bothered, right? But because I’m with a guy you’re completely freaking out about it.”

“That’s not fair Stiles. Your sexuality has absolutely nothing to do with this. If you were having sex with a 22 year old woman, I’d be just as concerned.”

“Dad! For the last time, me and Derek? Very much not having sex. God, if you only believe one thing I tell you, it’s that.”

“So you admit you’re in a position to be having sex with Derek Hale but that you just haven’t had sex with him yet?”

“Dad, I can’t talk to you about this. It’s too embarrassing.”

“I don’t care if you’re embarrassed. We’re talking about this.”

“Well can we at least talk about it at home instead of with me sitting in the back of a police car? It makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong.”

“No. Why did you lie and say that you knew ‘your boyfriend’ from school? You do not know Derek from school.”

“Why are you saying ‘your boyfriend’ like that’s not what he is?” Stiles pouted. “And I’ve seen Derek at the school loads of times.”

“Like the night Scott accused him of murdering the janitor and trapping you in the school?”

“No. Like the times he’s come pick up my friends. Because he’s friends with us.”

“Or all the days this week he’s come to pick you up?” His dad frowned. “I had a call from your principal, concerned that you’ve been picked up every day last week by an older male he didn’t recognise.”

“So? There’s nothing wrong with getting a ride home from someone.”

“It’s not a ride home if he drives to the school specifically to pick you up. A ride home is with someone who happens to be going in the same direction as you.”

“Getting a car with someone and going someplace with someone is getting a ride. Not sure what bizarro world you’re living in where it’s not.” Stiles complained.

“Why is he friends with a group of high school students? Why doesn’t he have any friends his own age?”

“Maybe because someone burned down his house when he was 16 and he ran away!” Stiles snapped. “How’s he meant to make friends when he’s running round the country thinking someone is going to come and try to kill him?”

“I’m well aware of happened to him, Stiles, and it’s very sad, but it still doesn’t make it OK for him to be hanging around with teenagers.”

“I’m not talking to you about this anymore.” Stiles snapped, folding his arms tightly across his chest and glaring out of the window.

“Good. It’ll be a nice, peaceful drive back to the station then.” His dad said, starting the engine.

“What? Why do I have to come back to the station? Why can’t I just go home?” Stiles demanded, leaning forward again.

“You think I’m going to let you go home while I’m in work? Not a chance. You can wait in my office, where you can’t invite Derek over.” His dad glanced at him in the rear view mirror. “Plus there’s the little issue of a speeding ticket that we need to address.”

“You’re actually going to give your own son a ticket?” Stiles asked incredulously, slouching across the back seat. “That makes no sense, considering you pay my allowance.”

“Used to pay your allowance.” His dad replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the road as he drove back towards the town. “You can expect to be going without it for the foreseeable future.”

 


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoah, I was going to leave adding this chapter until tomorrow but there seems to be some Papa Stilinski hate going on that I need to rectify! Enjoy lovelies! :) xx

Stiles buried his face in his pillow, his eyes were red and swollen and he was pretty sure he’d cried all the liquid out of his body. His dad had driven him back from the station three hours ago, demanding Stiles’ phone and laptop again. He’d already taken the keys to the Jeep while they’d been at the station and a tiny part of Stiles’ brain reminded him that it was still parked up in the lot opposite Derek’s apartment, probably having it’s wheels stolen while he lay in bed crying. He heard his dad’s heavy tread on the stairs and quickly clicked off the desk lamp on his bedside table, plunging his room in to darkness. He’d refused to say one word to his dad while they’d been at the station and suspected that he was about to get another lecture. He heard the door open followed shortly by the sound of the overhead light being flicked on.

“You can stop pretending to be asleep for a start.”

“I was asleep.” Stiles muttered in to his pillow.

“Take the unlock code off this.” He looked up see his dad holding his phone out. Stiles snatched it from him unceremoniously, unlocking the phone and turning off the PIN. He handed it back, scowling when his dad raised his eyebrows at the wallpaper.

“So now you’re going to go through my phone? There’s no incriminating evidence in there, if that’s what you’re hoping.”

“I’d say this is pretty incriminating.” His dad replied, turning the phone around and gesturing at the picture. Stiles said nothing; he’d taken the picture a few weeks before, right after the pack had found out about their relationship; mainly because he wanted to see what Derek looked like when they were kissing and had intended to delete it afterwards. He’d liked the resulting shot so much though that he’d kept it, despite Derek’s grumbling that he should delete in case someone saw it. Erica had laughed at him when she’d seen it, pointing out that the only person she knew that was lame enough to set her wallpaper as a picture of themself kissing their boyfriend was Lydia. Now seeing his phone in his dad’s hand, he could suddenly see all of Derek’s concerns; yes, it was just a photo of the two of them kissing, but it was also quite clearly a photo taken while they were lying in bed together, neither of them wearing shirts and a hickey just visible above where Derek’s hand was resting on his neck.

“It’s not illegal to kiss someone!” He shouted as his dad walked out of his bedroom again, taking his phone with him. The thought of his dad reading his messages was pretty embarrassing, particularly some of the more sappy one’s he and Derek had exchanged late one night the week before when neither of them could sleep. The one saving grace, Stiles thought, was that he made sure to never use the word werewolf in any of his texts. It was going to be bad enough explaining Derek to his dad without going in to the whole “surprise, werewolves!” talk. He stood up, crossing the room and turning the light off, wishing that his dad had at least caught them in the middle of the week so he could hurry off to school the next day and avoid further awkward talks. But no, he had to get caught on a Friday, meaning his dad had the whole weekend to interrogate him. He got back into bed, sighing into his pillow and fell into a fitful sleep.

**. o o o .**

“Up.”

Stiles pulled the comforter over his head instinctively and groaned loudly as his dad yanked the blinds open, flooding the room with sunshine.

“It’s not a school day.” He muttered.

“I’m aware of that. Get up. There’s a conversation we need to have.”

Stiles felt his insides go cold as he remembered exactly what conversation his dad was talking about. He waited until he heard his dad leave the room before poking his head out from under the comforter. Getting out of bed, he rummaged around in the drawer for a t-shirt, smiling to himself when he found one of Derek’s henleys balled up in the bottom drawer. He couldn’t remember if Derek had left it there, or if he’d ‘temporarily acquired ‘ it from Derek’s apartment one day. Either way, it made him feel better, like he might be able to face his dad after all.

He found his dad in the lounge, looking out of the window at the backyard; in terms of being talked to, the lounge was good, Not as forgiving as talks in the den, but better than serious talks in the study. He sat down on the uncomfortable couch, folding his legs up underneath him.

“So?” He asked, looking at his dad. “How long are you grounding me for this time?”

“You think I’m just going to ground you and then things go back to normal?” His dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m just holding out for you not arresting my boyfriend.” Stiles muttered.

“I haven’t decided what I’m doing about Derek yet.” His dad crossed the room and sat down next to him. “I saw the text messages he sent you. Why did he want you to tell me about your...relationship?”

“Because he thought it would be better if I told you, instead of you finding out some other way.”

“Like pulling you for speeding, you mean?”

“Well yeah, that wasn’t exactly the top of my list for the ways you might find out.”

“So how were you going to tell me? Or better yet, when were you going to tell me? This has been going on since the summer, hasn’t it?”

“Ironically enough, I was going to tell you this weekend.” Stiles replied. “We kind of had a fight about it the other day. Derek’s been going on at me to tell you for like a month straight.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Not yet, no. It’s not exactly easy. You’re hardly his biggest fan.”

“For good reason.”

“If you say so. Remember how he was exonerated both times? When was the last time his name came up at the station in an arrest-y kind of way?”

“When he was seen with you at a convenience store.” His dad countered. “Were you really seeing Boyd that day or where you spending time with Derek?”

“What do you think?”

“Don’t be flippant. Stiles, you’re a smart kid, surely you can understand why I’m so concerned about this?”

“I get it, objectively. I just don’t get it in a me and Derek capacity. You don’t know what he’s like really. If you did, you might not be so concerned about all this.”

“So tell me what he’s like.”

“What?” Stiles looked at his dad, trying to work out what his angle was. “What do you mean?”

“You say I don’t know what he’s like. Tell me what he’s really like.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know what it is you see in him.” His dad said, resting one arm along the back of the couch and looking at him.

“He’s....he’s just. I don’t know how to explain it properly. He’s nice, mostly just to me, but he is. And he cares about our friends, even if he doesn’t always show it in the right way. And he thinks he’s all like broken or something because of what happened to his family.” He paused, frowning at the fireplace they never used. “And I...”

“And you what?” His dad prompted.

“Dad, I love him. And not just, ‘oh, he’s really good looking and my first boyfriend’ love him, I mean I really, properly, can’t imagine anyone else ever love him.”

“Like how you loved Lydia?”

“No. Completely not like that at all. Because I actually know Derek and what he’s like. I never actually loved Lydia like that, that was more just an epic crush or something.”

“Stiles, you’re only sixteen. You think you love him now, because this is all new for you, but how will you feel when you graduate high school? When you go to college?”

“What does school or college have to do with anything? Or me being sixteen? I’m seventeen in like two months. And, mom was only 18 when you met her and you were 25. That’s seven years difference, more than me and Derek.”

“Your mom was already in college when we met. And need I point out that your grandfather never arrested me for anything prior to me asking her out.”

“Oh please. Deda would have totally arrested you if he’d been able to.” Stiles pouted, crossing his arms. “Remember that Christmas he got wasted and yelled at you for being Polish? That was crazy.”

“Stiles. We’re not talking about me and your mom, or your grandfather for that matter. We’re talking about you and Derek Hale.”

“Why do you keep saying his full name? Why can’t you just say Derek?”

“Fine. We’re talking about you and Derek.”

“Would it help if I said I’m really sorry that I lied about a bunch of stuff about him? And that I was really grateful that you didn’t push stuff when I wouldn’t tell you his name for like three months?” Stiles asked, looking down at his hands. “I didn’t want to, it’s just this was kind of the reaction I was expecting and I wanted things with Derek to last as long as possible before you made us split up. Sorry.”

“Stiles...”

“Can I just ask one thing? Can I still be friends with him and hang out with him after this? ‘Cause I’m not sure he’d cope if we split up, and to be honest, I don’t think I would either.”

“What do you mean, after this?”

“You’re going to make me break up with him, right? Or tell him to break up with me. One or the other.”

“No.” His dad said after a long pause, running his hands over his face.

“What? What do you mean no?”

“I’m not going to ask you to break up with him. And I’m not going to ask him to end things either.”

“What?” Stiles asked, feeling even more confused than when his dad had first started talking.

“Like I said, I read your text messages. And don’t pull that face. I pay your cell phone bill, I have the right to see what you’re saying to people. It seems as though you two really care for each other.”

“I don’t get it.” Stiles muttered dumbly. “You hate Derek.”

“I don’t hate him, but you have to bear in mind I only knowing him from arresting him and from when I had to pull him out of school after the fire.”

“So you’re not telling me I have to break up with him? What exactly are you saying?”

“I’m not completely adverse to the idea of you dating Derek.”

“Seriously? You’re seriously giving me permission to carry on seeing him?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

“How come?”

“Because I know you. If I tell you no, you’ll just continue to see him in secret and I’d rather know where you are and what you’re up to, even if I don’t completely approve of the person you’re dating.”

“OK...”

“There are conditions though.”

Stiles bit his lip, trying not to look too enthusiastic. Of course there were conditions. There were always conditions.

“You are not to stay at his apartment overnight, under any circumstances. And he’s not to stay here overnight either. Just because I’m not asking you to stop seeing him doesn’t mean I’m condoning you sleeping with him.”

“Trust me, we’re not having sex.” Stiles interrupted.

“So you keep telling me. But the fact that you’re so insistent about it makes me think that it’s not outside the realm of possibility. I’m worried you might rush in to something you’re not ready for. You’re such a smart kid, Stiles, but how many bad situations have you ended up in because you just don’t think about the consequences of your actions?”

“Please don’t make me talk about sex again. It’s too embarrassing.” Stiles complained, pulling his hood up over his head.

“If you think you’re mature enough to be having sex, you’re mature enough to talk about it.” His dad replied, yanking his hood back down. “Is Derek pressuring you in any way?”

“What? No! Kind of the other way around.” Stiles exclaimed, flushing when he realised what he had said. “Derek...he, uh, kind of doesn’t want us to, you know, yet.”

“Well I suppose I should be grateful that one of you is being sensible. Although I’m not at all surprised that it isn’t you.” His dad sighed. “One last thing. I want to speak to Derek about this as well. Make him aware of the conditions to your relationship from now on.”

“Are you asking me to invite Derek over for dinner or something?”

“Would you rather I asked him down to the station?” His dad enquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Dinner’s fine.” Stiles replied quickly, wondering how on earth he was going to get Derek to agree to a dinner with his dad. “Thanks...thanks for being so cool about this dad. I’m pretty sure I didn’t deserve it after not being entirely honest all this time.”

“Well then you better make sure, starting from now, you are honest with me. No more secrets.”

“Promise.” He shifted around on the couch uncomfortably, wondering how long it would take to get around to telling his dad the other things he’d been keeping secret for the last year. He was a little surprised that Scott’s mom hadn’t told his dad anything, given that she’d known about the existence of werewolves for several months now.

 


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scott's a genius...

“Here.” Stiles looked up from his laptop to see his dad holding his cell phone out to him.

“I’m allowed it back already?” He asked, surprised.

“Yes. And the first thing you can do is call Derek and tell him about dinner.”

“Does it have to be a whole dinner?” Stiles asked, spinning his phone between his thumb and index finger. “How about a brief chat over a coffee? Preferably somewhere where there are witnesses?”

“No.”

“Brunch then?”

“It’s dinner or no Derek.” His dad frowned, crossing his arms. “Call him. Now.” 

“Why do I have to call him in front of you?”

“Because I don’t trust you to actually do as you’re asked otherwise. You’ll make some excuse about how he can’t make it and go right back to seeing him secret. Call him.”

Stiles pulled a face, speeding dialling Derek.

“Thought Scott was the first person on your speed dial.” His dad commented as the phone rang.

“Things change.” He sighed, listening as Derek continued to not pick up his phone. “He’s not answering.”

“So phone again.”

“You’re being oddly persistent about this.” Stiles scowled, turning away from his dad when he heard Derek’s voice on the other end of the line.

“ _Stiles?_ ”

“Damn straight. Uh, I have to ask you something.”

“ _Ask me something? Never mind asking me something. What’s happening? I haven’t heard from you in three days. I didn’t want to phone in case your dad had your cell._ ”

“Yeah, well, he did.” Stiles muttered, glancing up at his dad. “Do you, uh, want to come over to dinner tomorrow? With me and my dad?”

“ _Dinner? Are you being serious?_ ”

“Yep.”

“ _How much trouble am I in right now?_ ”

“What? None at the moment. Just come to dinner tomorrow, yeah?”

“ _You’re being weird._ ”

“That’s beside the point! Just say yes, please?”

“ _Fine. But you better explain what the hell is going on._ ”

“Later.” Stiles told him, ending the call and shooting an angry look at his dad. “Happy now? He’s coming over.”

“Lose the attitude Stiles; I’m making an effort here. Would you rather I told you that you weren’t allowed to see him anymore?”

“No.”

“Well then. Look, I’m going to be busy with paperwork all evening, why don’t you go over to Scott’s?” His dad suggested. “Where you can’t bother me.”

“You’re banishing me from my own home? That’s harsh.” Stiles grumbled.

“That’s life.”

“Why don’t you go to your office and do your paperwork? Why do I have to be pushed out into the cold and snow?”

“Stop being ridiculous. There’s too many interruptions at the station, I never get anything done.”

“You’re the sheriff, they’re meant to interrupt you when crime happens.”

“Fine. I don’t want you in the house alone right now. I don’t want you to invite Derek over while I’m not here.”

“Now who’s being ridiculous?” Stiles complained, crossing his bedroom and shoving on a pair of sneakers. “What exactly do you think we’d get up to if you weren’t here?”

“You really want me to answer that question?” His dad asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you said me discussing your sex life with you was too embarrassing?”

“Fine! I’m leaving. House of McCall bound. My sex life is not an appropriate topic of conversation! Certainly not with you, anyway!” He grabbed a hoodie from the back of his door and rushed down the stairs.

“I’m your father.” His dad called after him. “I’ll decide what conversations are appropriate!” Stiles slammed the front door behind him before he could say anything else.

**. o o o .**

“You’re such a loser.” Scott grinned when he opened the door to Stiles. “Getting babysat by me and Isaac in case Derek happens!”

“What?! Who told you that?”

“Your dad called my mom. To make sure you got here or something.”

“My dad told your mom about me and Derek? That’s soul destroying levels of embarrassing. Can I go hide in the backyard?”

“From my mom? Why? She’s cool about it.”

“Well I’m not! Why does everyone have to know about my relationship? Your mom is going to ask me if I’m having sex, isn’t she?” Stiles complained, following Scott into the lounge and patting Isaac on the top of the head as he passed the couch.

“That better not be some kind of dog reference.” Isaac muttered quietly, keeping his attention fixed on the TV.

“Would I do a thing like that?” Stiles grinned, sitting down on the recliner. “I’m pretty sure I’m not actually allowed to make dog jokes anymore. Seems a little in poor taste now I’ve got a werewolf boyfriend!”

“So you and Derek are still together then?” Scott asked, leaning further back on the couch so he could see Stiles over Isaac's shoulders. “I thought your dad would have had him arrested by now.”

“Yeah. My dad was weirdly OK about it, even if I’m not allowed to go to Derek’s place right now. He made me invite him over for dinner though.”

“Derek and your dad are going to have dinner together? That’s a really weird mental image.”

“Tell me about it.” Stiles sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket to see if Derek had text him. He looked up to see Scott doing his ‘listening intently’ face, which he privately thought made his friend look very dog like. Apparently satisfied, Scott leant over, pushing Isaac forward on the couch.

“You want to go see him?” He asked in a conspiratory whisper.

“Seriously?”

“You’d do it for me.” Scott shrugged. “We could text him and tell him to meet us someplace. And then me and Isaac can go someplace else because as much as I want to help you out, watching you make out with Derek is kind of gross.”

“What about your mom?”

“We’ll tell her we’re going to the store. She’ll buy it if all three of us go.” Scott nudged Isaac in the ribs pointedly.

“What? Why do I have to come? I’m busy!”

“Dude, come on! I don’t want to hang around on my own while they get it on. I’ll look like a creep.” Scott laughed, trying to grab the control pad from Isaac, who glared at the two of them. He rolled his eyes when he saw Stiles clasping his hands together as though he were praying and turned off the Xbox.

“Why do I let you two talk me in to all this stupid stuff?” He complained, following Stiles and Scott into the hall way. “This is going to end up with us getting in to some kind of trouble, isn’t it?”

“No!” Stiles said emphatically, at the same time as Scott replied “probably, yeah.” Isaac pulled a face.

“Mom! We’re going out for a bit!” Scott called up the stairs.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Came Melissa’s hurried reply; she appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down suspiciously at the three of them. “Where are you going? You know what Stiles’ dad said. No going to see Derek.”

Stiles scowled, turning his attention to the completely interesting and not at all boring patch of ceiling above the front door, very aware that Isaac was smirking at him.

“We’re just going for a walk.” Scott replied. “Come on mom, do you really think Stiles is going to disobey his dad and you and go meet Derek? Do you even know him at all?”

“Yes, I do.” Melissa answered. “Which is why I’m asking.”

“I am not going to see Derek!” Stiles snapped, feeling guilty when he saw the look on Melissa’s face. “Honestly, we’re just going for a walk, maybe go to the store.”

“Well, OK.” She looked back at Scott again. “Just make sure you’re back by 10:30, you’ve all got school tomorrow.”

**. o o o .**

“We’re such geniuses.” Scott grinned as they walked away from his house. “Now phone Derek and tell him the genius plan. He can meet us at the playground or something.”

“Why are you doing all this?” Stiles asked suspiciously. “You don’t even like Derek.”

“No, but you’re my best friend and I want you to be happy.” Scott smiled, patting Stiles on the back.

“Dork.” Stiles laughed, pulling his phone out of his hoodie pocket, composing a text as they walked; ‘ _meet me at the plygrnd near scotts house. Don’t start asking questions, just hurry up n meet me_ ’.

They climbed over the fence, ignoring the “these gates are closed at dusk” sign, walking through the damp grass towards the playground. Scott made a bee line for the swing set, closely followed by Stiles and Isaac. Stiles watched as Scott started swinging enthusiastically, kicking his legs hard and swinging ever higher. His phone beeped as he watched, and he straddled the swing next to Scott and opened the text message which read simply “ _10 mins._ ”

“Think I can get the swing to go round the bar now?” Scott asked.

“No but I think you could probably jump off without breaking or spraining something now.” Stiles replied, scuffing his sneaker against the spongy rubber beneath the swing set. “Remember that one time you thought you’d broken your ankle after you jumped off but really it was just a sprain and you cried because you couldn’t get a cast?” He heard Isaac’s snort of laughter from behind him and grinned.

“Aren’t you three a little old to be playing on the swings?”

Stiles looked up, smiling when he saw Derek approaching from the other side of the small playground.

“You’re never too old to play on the swings.” Scott called, swinging still higher.

“I’m not playing on the swings.” Isaac pointed out from where he leant against the frame.

Derek sighed pointedly, looking directly at Stiles and tilting his head towards the darker part of the playground. Stiles scrambled off the swing, catching his foot on the chain and nearly falling as he did so. He very deliberately ignored Isaac’s stifled giggle and walked towards Derek, continuing to smile happily at him.

“You going to explain the whole having dinner with your dad thing now?” Derek asked, grabbing Stiles’ arm and dragging him towards the trees and bushes surrounding the playground.

“I’m not sure how much there is to explain.” Stiles told him, stumbling as Derek yanked on his arm again, trying to get him to walk faster. “I mean it’s dinner, it’s pretty self explanatory.”

“Yeah, genius, I got that part. Why am I even being invited to dinner? Why hasn’t your dad turned up at my place to arrest me?”

“He’s...He was oddly calm about it. He told me he isn’t going to try and break us up. But that there are conditions and you coming to dinner was one of those conditions.”

“Seriously?” Derek asked, his voice hopeful. “He’s really not telling you that you have to break up with me?”

“Yeah. Weird, huh?” Stiles replied, catching hold of one of Derek’s belt loops as they came to a halt beneath a large tree. “I was totally expecting to get grounded until my 35th birthday and to be told we had to stop seeing each other. I think I much prefer the awkward dinner thing.”

“God, I’ve missed you.” Derek said suddenly, stepping forward and pulling Stiles into a tight hug. Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek’s waist, beaming against the shoulder of his leather jacket.

“I bet you haven’t really.” He teased, turning his head to one side so he could kiss Derek’s neck. “I mean, you might have missed a few things, but I bet you haven’t missed me being talking over Fringe at you or drinking all your soda or driving your car like a dickhead.”

“I’ve missed all of it.” Derek mumbled. “I thought...I was worried you wouldn’t be allowed to see me again, that’s all.”

“You thought I was going to leave you, didn’t you?” Stiles asked softly.

“Maybe.” Derek admitted.

“Well sorry to break it to you, but you’re still stuck with me!” Stiles laughed, nipping lightly at the warm skin below Derek’s ear.

“Good.” Derek pulled away from the hug and kissed Stiles’ hungrily. Stiles shivered briefly as he felt Derek’s tongue brush against his lips and eagerly opened his mouth, sliding his own tongue inside Derek’s mouth and enjoying the thoroughly filthy moan that escaped from him. He could feel Derek grabbing handfuls of his hoodie, pulling him closer as his brain emptied itself of all the stupid, random thoughts that he spent most of the day over thinking, leaving him to concentrate on nothing but Derek’s urgent kisses and moans. A tiny part of his brain pointed out that Derek’s hands were remaining strictly above his waist, and wedged his own hands in the back pockets of Derek’s jeans, just in case the universe needed some kind of balance. He was thrilled to hear Derek moan again when he pinched his backside through the thick denim.

“Urgh, the behaviour of youth today!” Stiles frowned at the words coming from behind him, and felt Derek tense. He glanced over his shoulder, just able to see Scott and Isaac standing close by in the darkness.

“You know, no one forced you to come over here and spy on us.” He complained, untangling himself from Derek and turning on them. “You could have stayed on the swings minding your own business.”

“But it’s gone ten.” Scott pointed out. “We told my mom we’d be back by half past.”

“No it hasn’t! We’ve only been here for ten minutes!”

“Uh, no, you’ve been groping each other in the shrubs for like forty minutes.” Scott told him. “Now come on!”

“But...” Stiles shot Derek a pathetic look. “But I want to stay here with Derek!”

“Dude! If we’re not back soon, my mom is going to realise something is up and call your dad!”

“Scott’s mom knows about us?” Derek asked incredulously, leaning forward and putting one hand on Stiles’ hip.

“My dad told her.” Stiles mumbled, looking down at the ground. “She’s like his evil deputy now or something. No offence.” He added, glancing at Scott.

“Come on.” Scott grabbed for his hoodie sleeve, trying to pull him back toward the park entrance. Stiles turned back to Derek, lunging forward and kissing him desperately.

“Stiles. I’m seeing you tomorrow.” Derek reminded him, rubbing his back soothingly. “Calm down.”

“Yeah, I know.” Stiles muttered, feeling stupid. “Dinner. Right.”

“Right.” Derek squeezed his hand. “I, uh, you know.” He glanced over Stiles’ shoulder at Isaac and Scott.

“You what?” Stiles asked, shooting him a mischievous grin.

“Shut up. You know what. Anyway, you need to go now.” Derek nodded at the others. “You’ve got a curfew, remember?”

"You know, if I didn't love your stupid werewolf ass, I'd probably hate you!" Stiles laughed, squeezing Derek's hand tightly before walking back towards the park entrance. "See you tomorrow for the dinner from hell!" He called over his shoulder, pushing Isaac away from him as he tried to get him in a headlock.


	39. Chapter 39

“I don’t know how to have dinner with someone’s parent.” Derek complained, gripping the wheel of the Camaro tightly and frowning at Stiles’ house as though it had personally offended him.

“As comments go, that’s me levels of stupid.” Stiles sighed, shifting in his seat. “What do you mean, you don’t know how? You come in, my dad feeds you greasy takeout, does his scary sheriff routine and boom, every one’s a winner. We get to keep on seeing each other.”

“What if I say the wrong thing?”

“What wrong thing? Unless you’re planning on blurting out something like ‘oh Sheriff, what lovely chow mein, by the way, I totally want to have sex with your underage son’ we should be fine.” Stiles reached over and put his hand on Derek’s thigh. “Please, you’ve got to do this. My dad might stop me from seeing you if we don’t.”

“You’re not going to bail half way through are you?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d go hang out with Erica, let her ask me more skin crawling embarrassing questions about all the sex we’re not having. Of course I’m not going to bail, stupid. I figuring suffering through a lecture from my dad is one of those things that we’ll look back on in the future and laugh about and be stronger for ‘cause we’ve survived it together.”

“Survived it?” A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Derek’s mouth. “You’re really not selling this dinner thing you know.”

“Look, I’m letting him order whatever takeout he wants, that always softens him up a bit. He’s always happier when there’s takeout.” Stiles patted Derek on the leg and leant forward, drumming his fingers on the dashboard. “Come on. We can’t sit in the car forever. He knows we’re out here.”

“I still think this is a bad idea.” Derek mumbled, following Stiles and glaring at the front door.

“I know, it’s a terrible idea, but apparently it’s dinner or no Derek for me, so, yeah. In.” He opened the front door and grabbed hold of Derek’s hand, dragging the reluctant werewolf into the house.

**. o o o .**

“Dad! Derek’s here.” Stiles called as they entered the house.

“Yes, I know. You’ve been sat out in his car for the last ten minutes.” His dad replied, stepping through the kitchen doorway and into the hall. Derek quickly let go of Stiles’ hand, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Hello Derek.”

“Sheriff.” Derek nodded.

“That’s not his actual name, you know.” Stiles laughed nervously, digging Derek in the ribs with his elbow.

“Yeah, I knew that.” Derek mumbled, looking down at the floor.

“His name’s John.” Stiles prompted in a loud whisper. “You can totally call him that if you want.”

“OK.”

“Well this is horribly awkward.” Stiles said at last, clapping his hands together. “Weren’t you meant to be ordering takeout?” He asked, turning to his dad.

“It’s on its way.” His dad replied, watching Derek with interest.

“So we’re just going to stand in the hall until it gets here? Or are we allowed to go sit in the den?”

“I’m not stopping you from doing anything.”

“Come on.” Stiles tugged on Derek’s sleeve, leading him through the lounge and into the den. “I’m so incredibly sorry about this; he’s being even weirder than I thought he’d be. Please don’t let him freak you out too much.”

“It’s fine.” Derek replied, shrugging Stiles’ hand off his arm. “And just so you know, you’re being weird as well. Your heart’s beating like crazy, it’s making me nervous.”

“I can’t help that! This is all very, very strange.” Stiles complained, sitting down on the couch, watching Derek as he paced around the room. He stopped in front of the bookcase, running a finger along the spines of several books before turning his attention to a photo in a heavy silver frame.

“Is that your...” He asked quietly, turning to Stiles.

“His mom.” Stiles’ dad informed him, walking in to the den and sitting down beside Stiles on the couch.

“You look a lot like her.” Derek muttered, glancing at Stiles as he took a seat on the armchair. “Same eyes.”

“Everyone says that.” Stiles replied, fidgeting on the couch. “My baba says...”

Before Stiles could expand on what exactly his grandmother said, the doorbell rang. Stiles flailed his way off the couch, rushing into the hallway to answer the door. He came back a few minutes later, an egg roll wedged in his mouth and several greasy bags of Chinese food in his hands.

**. o o o .**

“I’m sure Stiles has already told you there are conditions to the two of you continuing to date?”

“He might of, uh, mentioned it.” Derek shifted uncomfortably in the armchair, twisting his disposable chopsticks between his fingers.

“Did he happen to mention what those conditions are?”

“Of course I did, dad!” Stiles pouted, putting one foot up on the coffee table, knocking over empty takeout cartons in the process.

“Really? Well how about we have a little re-cap?” His dad asked, frowning as Stiles fidgeted, rolling his eyes and tutting under his breath.

“OK.”

“Stiles is not to stay at your apartment. Likewise, you’re not to stay here when I’m out of the house.”

“What about when you’re in the house?” Stiles asked grinning, earning himself a glare from both Derek and his dad. “God, I was just kidding! Calm down!”

“As I was saying, he doesn’t stay overnight at yours, you don’t stay here. Like I’ve already said to my son, just because I’m not asking the two of you to stop seeing each other does not mean I condone you sleeping together.”

“Um. We’ve not...we’re not doing that.” Derek mumbled, his cheeks flushing as he stared down at his hands.

“So Stiles keeps telling me.”

“Telling you the truth.” Stiles grumbled, folding his arms. His dad shot him a ‘be quiet Stiles’ frown before turning his attention back to Derek.

 “He’s not to drive your car.”

“Dad!” Stiles exclaimed. “Do you realise how long it took me to convince him to let me drive it? You can’t just be throwing out comments like ‘Stiles isn’t allowed to drive your car’! That’s massively unfair.”

“I didn’t want him to drive it.” Derek said quietly. “But it was the easiest way to make him be quiet.”

“Yes, well, that’s Stiles for you.” His dad replied, shooting Derek a brief smile. “Maybe you should bear in mind that he’s alarmingly persistent and giving in to what he wants might not always be in your best interests.”

“Right here in the room, dad. I can hear you besmirching my good character.”

“What good character?” His dad joked, Stiles scowled at Derek as he stifled a laugh. “One other thing. Discretion. Just because I’m open to the idea of the two of you to continuing to date doesn’t mean you’re going to get the same response from everyone else.”

“No one has a problem with it, dad.”

“You mean your friends? I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about the rest of town. Neither of you are exactly anonymous around here; just be aware of what people might say or think if they see the two of you together.”

“I don’t care what people think of us!” Stiles commented. “And Derek doesn’t either, right?” He turned to look at Derek, who shrugged.

“Stiles, it’s fine. I get it.” He frowned when Stiles opened his mouth to speak again. “Just leave it, OK?”

“So you’re telling me I can’t be seen in public with Derek but I can’t go to his apartment and he can’t come here?” He snapped, rounding on his dad. “That doesn’t really seem like you’re OK with us being together.”

“When did I say don’t be seen together in public? I’m just suggesting you exercise a little bit of discretion and I never said you couldn’t go to Derek’s apartment. I said you can’t stay over there. I’m sure you’re still very aware of the conversation we had about why that is?” His dad replied, raising an eyebrow. “If you’re at Derek’s, I want you to tell me. No lying and telling me you’re at Scott’s. And your curfew still stands.”

“Fine.” Stiles sighed. “But no one else I know has a curfew.”

“What is your curfew?” Derek asked, glancing from Stiles to his dad. “Just so I know.”

“10pm school nights. Midnight on weekends.” The sheriff replied, before Stiles could answer. “You make sure he sticks to it, and we won’t have any problems.”

“I’ll make sure.”

“Good.”

“I’m perfectly capable of sticking to my ridiculous curfew  by myself! You two don’t need to gang up on me!” Stiles folded his arms across his chest and frowned at Derek.

“I know you can, Stiles. Aside from lying about who you were with for most of the summer, you’ve been surprisingly good about not coming home late. Much better than you used to be.” Stiles pulled a face when his dad leant over and patted him on the shoulder, smiling at him. “It’s getting late; I think maybe it’s time Derek went home.”

“It’s 9 o clock dad!”

“Yes, and you’ve got school tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got stuff to do myself tomorrow.” Derek replied hurriedly, getting to his feet and shoving his used chopsticks in his jacket pocket.

“I’ll walk you to your car.” Stiles told him, jumping up off the couch and following Derek out into the hall.

**. o o o .**

“So, it wasn’t entirely terrible, right?” Stiles asked, wrapping the fortune from his cookie around his little finger as he watched Derek. “I mean, we both survived, I got extra egg rolls, my dad doesn’t seem to hate you. Not terrible.”

“I guess.”

“You OK?” Stiles asked.

“S’pose so.”

“Are you still worried about Peter?”

“I don’t know. I guess. I thought he’d have shown up by now. Even if he turned up with the Alphas in tow, I’d feel better I think.”

“You don’t like not knowing?”

“Something like that.” Derek shrugged. “Look, it’s kind of late and your dad is watching us from the upstairs window, I pretty sure that’s my cue to leave.”

“Thanks for putting up with all this.” Stiles smiled, leaning against Derek. “You really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

“Because you enjoy awkwardness and humiliation?”

“No, idiot, because I want to be with you. If having to agree to your dad’s terms and conditions means I get to be with you, then fine.” He placed his hand on Stiles’ arm, rubbing it gently.

“Guess you really must like me.” Stiles grinned. “To sit through that ordeal.”

“I love you.” Derek replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. Stiles laughed happily, snaking his arms around Derek’s neck.

“So you say. Didn’t stop you from ganging up on me with my dad though. Trying to earn yourself some Sheriff’s brownie points?”

“No. Just don’t want to get into trouble with your dad for keeping you out past your curfew.”

“That’s ganging up. I’m not sure I love you anymore now.”

“Liar.” Derek replied confidently, putting his hands on Stiles’ hips. “You still love me.”

“Always will.” Stiles said, blushing slightly.

“Same here.” Derek muttered, leaning forward and resting his forehead against Stiles’.

“Urgh, I’m going to get such a talking to when I go back in.” Stiles complained, glancing over his shoulder at the house.

“What? Why?”

“Because of this.” Stiles pressed up against Derek, kissing him passionately, one hand sliding up the back of Derek’s neck to pull on his hair.

“Stop it.” Derek sighed, pulling free of Stiles’ grip.

“You’re no fun anymore.” Stiles laughed, poking Derek in the chest. “I can come by your place after school and uh, continue this conversation, right?”

“As long as you tell your dad where you are.” Derek teased, pushing Stiles away from him and unlocking his car. “And make sure you’re home by ten.”

“You know, you can mock me all you like.” Stiles told him, leaning on the Camaro’s roof and holding the door open. “But you’re the one dating a sixteen year old. So tell me, out of the two of us, who’s the bigger loser?”

“Oh, it’s still you.” Derek put one hand on Stiles stomach and gently shoved him away from the car. “See you tomorrow.”

 


	40. Chapter 40

Following what Stiles thought of as “the dinner from hell that wasn’t actually that hellish”, he and Derek fell into a happy little routine of spending every afternoon at Derek’s apartment, marathoning episodes of Supernatural, having run out of episodes of Fringe to watch. Although, much to Stiles’ annoyance, Derek had become terrifyingly strict about Stiles sticking to his curfew, frequently pushing him out of the apartment before 9:30pm to “make sure he got home in time”, which while irritating was not as humiliating as being frog marched out of a pack meeting one Saturday night.

“You’re being ridiculous!” Stiles complained as Derek drove. “It’s only just gone eleven! It does not take an hour to drive to my house!”

“It does if you get a ride back with Scott.”

“You’re such a suck up, you know.”

“I am not. I’m just trying to stick to your dad’s rules. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t particularly want to stop dating you.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s past the stage of actively disliking you. He told me the other day that he thinks you’re a good influence on me. He wants you to come for dinner again.”

“I’m a good influence?” Derek asked doubtfully, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at Stiles. “Really?”

“Apparently so.”

“Huh.”

“Stop looking so smug. Why’d you make me leave the pack meeting so early? I mean, other than because you apparently enjoy humiliating me in front of everyone.”

“Wanted to spend some time alone with you.” Derek replied. “Why’d you think we’re not going straight back to your house?”

Stiles glanced out of the window, realising that they weren’t anywhere near his house and were probably on the outskirts of the preserve. Derek flashed him a small smile as he pulled over to the side of the road.

“You abandoned a pack meeting so we could park and make out?” Stiles laughed, twisting in his seat to look at Derek.

“You were being distracting.” Derek replied. “Plus I kind of got fed up of listening to you and Erica talking shit when you were meant to be listening to me.”

“Talking shit?! We were talking about the new Iron Man trailer.” Stiles said reproachfully, reaching for Derek’s hand. “If you don’t realise how important Robert Downey Junior is then maybe we shouldn’t be together.”

“You’re a loser.”

“A loser who’s so going to make you watch the entire Avengers box set tomorrow for that remark.” Stiles laughed, rubbing the back of Derek’s hand with his thumb. “Can we get on with the making out part of this parking and making out scenario now please?”

Derek smiled and leant across the car to kiss him, pulling his hand away from Stiles’ so he could slip it around the back of his neck. Stiles moaned happily into Derek’s mouth, reaching over and digging his fingers into Derek’s thigh.

“You know.” Stiles whispered between kisses. “Your car is even more uncomfortable than your couch when it comes to locations for making out.”

Derek scoffed in response, tightening his grip on Stiles and kissing him hard. Stiles frowned as he heard himself make some bizarre whimpering sound around Derek’s tongue and ran his hand up Derek’s thigh, hoping to distract him. Derek shifted uneasily and clapped his hand over Stiles’ own, halting it’s progress.

“Stop it.”

“You’re absolutely no fun.” Stiles pouted, leaning over further so he could kiss Derek’s neck.

“So you keep telling me. I’ve got to go back to the warehouse after I drop you off though, so...” He trailed off as he tilted his head back slightly.

“So?” Stiles asked as he sat back in his seat.

“No cold shower there.” Derek blushed, turning the key in the ignition. Stiles gave a loud snort of laughter, fidgeting in his seat for a moment before bending forwards to fiddle with the radio. “Don’t mess with that.” Derek complained, swatting his hand away. “Just switch it to the CD player and leave it alone.” Stiles rolled his eyes, but obliged anyway, grinning when he recognised the sound of 30 Seconds to Mars. Derek has evidently been listening to his complaints that he had nothing but “weird” CDs in his car.

“Hey Derek?” Stiles asked as they pulled back onto the road.

“Yeah?”

“You think we should tell my dad about the whole werewolf thing?”

“I don’t know.” Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat, keeping his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “He’s only just started being OK with us dating. “

“I don’t mean just tell him about you specifically. I mean about everyone.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“He’s going to find out sooner or later; he’s not stupid you know.”

“I don’t like people knowing. Just because Isaac and Erica want to go around flaunting what they are doesn’t mean I want to. It never ends well.” Derek muttered darkly.

“My dad isn’t going to hunt you down if he finds out.” Stiles bristled. “I just...I don’t see how he can stay safe if he doesn’t know, you know? What if the Alpha’s come back and work out what’s going on between us? What if they come for me or my dad? I can’t protect him from them.”

“You think I’d actually let anything happen to you or your dad?”

“Of course I don’t. It just kind of sucks, you know, keeping secrets from him still. He’s been all proud of me recently because he thinks I don’t lie about stuff anymore. Which, by the way, is currently being credited to Derek “good influence” Hale.”

“I get that, but telling more people puts all of us in danger. The whole pack, humans included.”

“What do you think he’s going to do? Run to Argent to beg for wolfsbane bullets?” Stiles looked over at Derek just in time to see him flinch at the name ‘Argent’ and felt a small pang of guilt.

“He might. You don’t know how he’s going to react.”

“He didn’t react too badly to finding out about us, not once he’d calmed down. What makes you think he’ll react badly to the werewolf thing?”

“Because it’s different. He wasn’t exactly happy when he found out we were dating. How do you think he’s going to react if you tell him that your boyfriend and friends are all werewolves?”

“He’ll probably just think I’m having some kind of mental breakdown.” Stiles sighed. “I don’t really think he’d actually believe me unless I asked one of you to come and wolf out in the kitchen. And then he’d probably just think _he_ was having a breakdown.”

“Please just don’t tell him yet.” Derek said, glancing over at him with a desperate look on his face. “Just give it a bit more time, please?”

“Fine. You’re a giant hairy wolfy hypocrite though. All that time you spent haranguing me to tell him about us and now you want me to keep secrets from him? You’re going to lose brownie points now.”

“Shut up.”

“Pull the car over again and make me.” Stiles challenged light-heartedly.

“No.” Derek looked at the dashboard clock. “You’re meant to be home in ten minutes. That’s where you’re going.” Stiles frowned at him and made a noise of disgust; Derek pointedly ignored him.

“You’re going to come over tomorrow though right?” Stiles asked as they turned onto his street.

“You’re going to make me watch stupid comic book movies, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m going to educate you in the awesomeness that is Robert Downey Junior. And if you say bad things about comic book movies, I’m going to set Erica on you.”

“If you say so.” Derek replied, pulling up by the sidewalk outside Stiles’ house. He was about to lean across the car to kiss Stiles goodnight when he heard the sheriff’s truck round the corner.

“Stop being scared of my dad.” Stiles laughed when he saw the headlights coming towards them, leaning forward as Derek pulled away. “He’s not going to drag you out of the car and arrest you for kissing me.” He pressed a quick kiss against the corner of Derek’s mouth before getting out of the car, just as his dad pulled into the driveway.

“Hey dad!” Stiles grinned, leaning on the roof of the Camaro, watching his dad get out of his own car.

“Hi son. Good to see you’re home on time again.” His dad replied, locking his car and walking over to the Camaro, nodding a hello to Derek through the open window.

“It’s OK if Derek comes over tomorrow right? To watch some movies?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Avengers is so on.” Stiles laughed, ducking down to look at Derek, who rolled his eyes.

“Stay for dinner if you want.” The sheriff added.

“He’s just using you as an excuse to get takeout!” Stiles said to Derek. “By the way, you better make sure you’re here nice and early tomorrow! We’ve got a whole lot of movies to get through!” He stepped away from the car and slammed the door, making Derek wince before walking away towards the house, chattering to his dad.

**. o o o .**

“This was fun, being all domesticated. We should do it more often.” Stiles grinned as he surveyed the messy kitchen and chewed on a chunk of bread roll. Derek raised a sceptical eyebrow at him.

“You kept wandering off and leaving me to do everything.”

“I wanted to see what was on TV!”

“It was your idea to cook dinner. I bet your dad would have been just as happy with takeout.”

“He’s not meant to eat takeout all the time. Anyway, he’ll start associating you with takeout and then he’ll invite you over more so he’s got an excuse to order takeout and that won’t end well.”

“Because you don’t want me to come over more?”

“No, because I don’t want my dad to get heart problems.” Stiles slipped his arms around Derek’s waist. “I always want you to come over. I want you to stay over as well, but someone put the kibosh on that.”

“You’ll live.”

“Maybe next time he’s working overnight...”

“No.”

“You don’t want to stay over?”

“You know I do. I just don’t want to get on the wrong side of your dad.” Derek replied as he returned Stiles’ hug, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Well think about it at least, yeah? Because I feel like I’ve been being good for way too long now. Well that and I really, really like sleeping with you. Um. That sounded different in my head; I meant sleeping in the same bed as you.” He pulled away from Derek slightly to look at him. “Although I’m sure I would really, really like, you know, _sleeping_ with you.”

“So you keep saying. It’ll happen, just stop hinting about it all the goddamn time.”

“Stop being so absurdly good looking.” Stiles laughed against Derek’s shoulder. “It’s your own fault we keep having this conversation.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s your fault actually.” Derek replied, kissing the side of his head and pulling away from him. “Your dad’s just pulled up outside.” He added when he saw the hurt look Stiles shot him.

**. o o o .**

 “You cooked?” His dad asked incredulously. Stiles nodded enthusiastically, setting a plate of lasagne down in front of his dad. “I don’t believe for one minute that you made this yourself.”

“I did!” Stiles scowled.

“Stiles, you only know how to make pancakes and mac n cheese.” His dad teased.

“That is completely untrue. I also know how to make those horrible stuffed cabbage things that baba always makes us eat when we go visit. I just don’t make them because that’d be cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Stuffed cabbage?” Derek looked up from his plate, clearly still a little uncomfortable to be sitting at the dinner table with Stiles and his father.

“Yeah, holubky, and trust me, they’re disgusting.” Stiles grinned, brushing his leg against Derek’s under the table for reassurance. “She thinks I need to ‘embrace my heritage’ or something and apparently stuffed cabbage leaves are the way to go. Remember after deda’s funeral when she sent us home with like three trays of the things.” Stiles grinned at his dad.

“Vividly. It took a week to get the smell out of my car.” His dad ate another large mouthful of lasagne. “So who did make this?”

“I told you, I did! Well, Derek helped, but I did most of it!”

“You mean you watched Derek make it? And knowing you, got in the way?”

“No! I found the recipe, I followed the recipe. I made it! Derek only did the boring bits.”

“Boring bits?” His dad asked, glancing at Derek.

“Stiles got bored of chopping things up.” Derek explained, taking a sip of water, flinching slightly when he felt Stiles squeeze his knee under the table. “And reading the recipe. And stirring the sauce.”

“If you two don’t stop picking on me, I’ll make cabbage rolls next time and then you’ll both be sorry.”

“Are they that bad?” Derek asked, glancing at Stiles.

“Yes.” Stiles and his dad answered at the same time.

“I’d make them for you, but I sort of like you and don’t want to kill you with terrible Czech food.” Stiles continued, grinning wickedly before turning to look at his dad. “Hey dad, did I tell you about Derek?”

“Tell me what about Derek?” The sheriff asked, getting up from his seat and helping himself to another portion of lasagne. Derek shot Stiles a panicked look, shaking his head, feeling annoyed when Stiles merely stuck his tongue out at him.

“He’s going to take his GED.” Stiles replied.

“Good for you.” John smiled, sitting back down, not noticing the expression of visible relief on Derek’s face.

“Sorry.” Stiles mouthed silently as his dad tucked into his second helping. He reached for Derek’s leg under the table again, tracing small circles on his kneecap until Derek relaxed slightly. He blanched slightly when Derek narrowed his eyes at him and gave him an angry glare, feeling guilty when he realised Derek probably thought he had been on the verge of telling his dad about werewolves; he wasn’t sure if any amount of takeout or delicious lasagne could ever prepare his dad for that.

 


	41. Chapter 41

“I’m off to work.” Stiles looked up from his chemistry textbook to see his dad’s head poking around his bedroom door.

“Night shift again?”

“Yep. And that does not mean invite Derek over the minute I leave the house.”

“I wasn’t even thinking that.” Stiles said reproachfully. “I’ve got this stupid assignment for Harris that’s due Monday. I haven’t got time to see Derek even if I wanted to.”

“I’ll call you later then, see how you’re getting on.” His dad closed his bedroom door again. Stiles pulled his phone out of his pocket as he listened to his dad’s truck start up outside, punching in Derek’s number.

“He’s gone.” He said when Derek picked up. “You on your way?”

“ _Give me two minutes. Just walking over now._ ” Derek replied. Stiles grinned hugely as he hung up the phone, turning his attention back to his chemistry textbook. He flicked through to the back of the book, having lost all interest in covalent bonds and started working out how many words he could make using the periodic table. He was so involved in the task of scribbling down words on a piece of scrap paper that he didn’t hear the window open and squawked loudly when Derek grabbed the back of his neck.

“You look busy.” Derek teased, kissing him lightly on the cheek and sitting down on the bed.

“I’m making words.” Stiles explained, chewing on his pen. “It was more interesting than what Harris actually expects us to do.”

“You asked me over to watch you make words from your chemistry book?” Derek asked, shaking his head.

“Hell no. I asked you over so we could make out in my bed.” Stiles grinned, closing the textbook with a snap and throwing it down on his desk. “And maybe I was going to suggest that you stay over tonight as well.”

“So you asked me over to ignore the conditions your dad set on us being together?”  Derek asked as he removed his boots. “Three weeks after he set them.”

“Are you complaining? I mean you can go back home if you want to and I can get on with not doing my chemistry homework.”

“Not complaining about that, no.” Derek replied, grabbing hold of Stiles’ hand and tugging on his arm. “Complaining that you’re all the way over there.”

“Better?” Stiles asked, moving quickly from the chair to the bed, lying down behind Derek. He propped himself up on one elbow, pulling on the back of Derek’s henley until he lay down beside him. Derek huffed contentedly as Stiles cuddled up against him, resting his head on his chest.

“Your hair’s getting long.” Derek murmured, running his hand through it to emphasise his point.

“Urgh, I know. I keep forgetting to buzz it. Someone keeps distracting me and making me not get home til late.”

“I like it.” Derek curled his fingers and pulled gently on Stiles’ hair, smiling when he heard him moan.

“Evidently. You know what I like?” Stiles asked, pushing at the hem of Derek’s shirt. “You with fewer clothes on.”

Derek sighed, sitting up and removing his shirt. He turned to look at Stiles, raising an eyebrow at him until he took the hint and stripped off his own t-shirts, dropping them casually on the floor beside the bed.

“I’m cold now.” He complained, shuffling closer to Derek as he lay back down. “Why would you want me to be cold?”  Derek laughed, rolling onto his side, sliding one arm underneath Stiles’ neck and wrapping the other around his waist.

“Better?” He asked, pressing a chaste kiss against Stiles’ lips.

“You are going to stay over, right?” Stiles asked quietly, sliding one leg in between Derek’s as he nudged Derek’s chin upwards so he could kiss his neck.

“You have to ask?”

“Thought you might still be trying to earn yourself brownie points.”

“Not tonight.” Derek smiled, moving closer and kissing Stiles deeply. Stiles moaned, slipping his arm underneath Derek’s and dragging his fingernails down his back; Derek whimpered in response, rolling his hips against Stiles’. Stiles exhaled sharply, becoming excruciatingly aware that it wasn’t just him sporting an awkward hard on for once. He slowly scratched his way down Derek’s back again, enjoying the soft whine he made as he pressed up against him. He slowly moved his hand from Derek’s back and wrapped his fingers around his wrist, exerting the smallest amount of pressure until Derek took the hint and rolled onto his back, letting Stiles pin his wrist against the mattress beside his hip.

“This OK?” Stiles asked, tightening his grip briefly for emphasis and watching Derek, who nodded. Stiles grinned and eagerly lowered his head to kiss Derek’s throat, feeling a hot shiver of pleasure run through him when Derek whined again. As fun as pinning Derek’s arm against the bed was, it wasn’t half as much fun as touching him, and after a few minutes, Stiles’ interest was drawn to running his fingers lightly over Derek’s stomach, tracing the outlines of his muscles and enjoying the way he twitched and shivered at his touch. Feeling encouraged by the way Derek was responding, he let his fingers stray lower, brushing over the line of hair that disappeared beneath his underwear; he felt Derek tense momentarily, digging his fingernails into Stiles’ forearm.

“Want me to stop?” Stiles whispered against Derek’s lips; Derek shook his head and kissed him hard, keeping a tight grip on his arm.

“How about now?” Stiles hooked one finger under the elastic and followed it across Derek’s stomach. Derek shook his head again.

“How about now?” He paused, fingers just under the waistband of Derek’s boxers. Derek nodded, his eyes wide and a slightly nervous expression on his face. “You sure?” Stiles asked, looking up at Derek for reassurance, receiving yet another nod. He took a deep breath and slid his hand into Derek’s underwear, biting his lip as his fingers brushed over coarse hair. “Just tell me if you’re uncomfortable, yeah?” He gingerly closed his hand around Derek’s cock, stroking him lazily.

He propped himself up on his elbow so he could see Derek’s face better, feeling a happy little shiver of contentment when Derek smiled at him. He lowered his head, peppering Derek’s chest and shoulder with hot kisses, all the while keeping up his maddeningly slow strokes. He moved further down the bed so he could kiss Derek’s stomach, glancing up at him when he tensed briefly.

“You OK?”

“Y-yeah.” Derek whispered.

“So can I...” Stiles looked up at him, licking his lips and kissing his way further down Derek’s stomach, his gaze flicking from Derek’s face to his straining underwear.

“What? Oh. Uh...you don’t have to.” Derek replied uncertainly when he realised what Stiles was implying.

“Who said anything about have to? I’m asking if you want me to.”

“Yes.” Derek breathed after a few seconds silence, lifting his hips off the bed slightly as Stiles continued to stroke him.

“Awesome.” Stiles smiled, sitting up and hooking his fingers under the waistband of Derek’s boxers, tugging them down just far enough to expose Derek’s erect cock to the cool air. He watched as Derek draped one arm over his face, as though he were trying to hide. After a minute, he lowered his head, trailing hot, wet kisses across Derek’s stomach and hip, stroking his cock languidly the whole time. He heard a sigh of pleasure from Derek and, feeling slightly nervous, shuffled a little further down the bed and slowly dragged his tongue over the head of Derek’s cock.

“Jesus.” Derek exhaled, his hips bucking slightly as he buried his hand in Stiles’ hair. Feeling spurred on by Derek’s reaction, Stiles started bobbing his head up and down, trying to mimic both what he’d seen in porn videos in the past and what Derek had done to him a few weeks earlier. He was surprised to hear Derek moaning loudly and muttering his name; whenever he’d fantasised about this exact scenario in the past, Derek had been thoroughly silent and brooding. He hummed happily to himself, drawing another “Jesus Christ!” from Derek and earning himself a sharp tug on his hair.

“Stiles...” Derek gasped, pulling at his hair. “Stiles, I’m going to...you might want to...move.”

“No.” Stiles replied, barely lifting his mouth off Derek’s cock before redoubling his efforts. Derek fisted his free hand in the bed sheets, trying to fight down the vaguely panicky feeling washing over him as he felt his orgasm building. He whined softly as Stiles moved his hand, scratching over his inner thigh. That was more than he was able to handle and he groaned softly as he came, his back arching up off the bed. He was dimly aware of Stiles making a strangled coughing sound as he swallowed and relaxed his grip on his hair so he could sit upright.

“That...” He tried, trailing his fingers up Stiles’ side. “You were...” He gave up trying to find the right words and smiled at him. Stiles returned the smile cheerfully, running his tongue across his lips, a quizzical expression on his face, as though he wasn’t quite sure whether he liked what he could taste or not. Derek pulled on his arm, urging him to lie down next to him.

“Oh!” Stiles laughed, taking the hint and snuggling up to Derek. “Sucking your dick is awesome.” He grinned, hiding his face against Derek’s shoulder and blushing. Derek hugged him tightly, tracing patterns idly on his back with his finger. After a long while, Stiles pulled away from the hug, muttering something about not being able to breathe and turning on his side, his back to Derek, who immediately moved closer, wrapping his arm around Stiles’ stomach and nuzzling against the back of his neck.

“Thanks.” Stiles mumbled drowsily.

“What do you mean thanks?” Derek asked, kissing his shoulder. “I should be saying thank you, not you.”

“Pfft. It was probably pretty mediocre as blow jobs go, right?”

“I wouldn’t know. Never had one before.” Derek admitted, flushing,

“Oh. Well sorry if it wasn’t that great anyway. And I was saying thank you for letting me do it, for trusting me. I know sex stuff is kind of a big deal for you.” He patted Derek’s arm as it tightened around his waist. “So, yeah, thank you.”

“I really love you.” Derek blurted out, pressing himself as close to Stiles as he could, his face buried against his back.

“Love you too.” Stiles replied happily, reaching behind himself and patting Derek on the hip. “Specially when you keep me all nice and warm in bed.” He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.

“You tired?” Derek asked quietly. Stiles shrugged, twisting away from Derek slightly when his stubble dragged across his shoulder blades.

“Not all that tired?” He yawned. “Why?”

“Just wondering.” Derek replied, letting his hand slip lower on Stiles stomach. He smiled, listening as Stiles’ heartbeat quickened. He pulled on the waistband of Stiles’ ridiculous Spider-Man underwear, letting the elastic slap back against his stomach, enjoying the affronted squawking noise Stiles made.

“Asshole.”

“Sorry.” Derek smiled, biting the back of Stiles’ shoulder as he slid his hand into Stiles’ boxers, wrapping his hand around Stiles’ semi-erect cock.

“If this is how you plan on apologising for things from now on, I like it.” Stiles sighed, grinding his ass against Derek’s crotch.

“I can stop if you want me to...” Derek stopped what he was doing, but kept his fingers curled around Stiles’ cock.

“God no!”

“Be quiet then.” Derek told him, stubble scratching  Stiles’ shoulder as he moved to kiss his neck.

“You’re going to make me come in my Spider-Man boxers.” Stiles gasped as Derek’s hand started to move faster. “There’s something very dirty about that! I like it!” He added hurriedly as he felt Derek’s movements slow briefly.

“You would.” Derek snorted against the back of his neck, his hand gradually moving faster as Stiles squirmed and moaned beside him.

 


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's mention of birthdays in this chapter (specifically Derek and Erica's) - I know that Teen Wolf The Hunt game thing gives dates of birth for most of the characters, but they don't really seem to make sense in the context of the show, so I'm chosing to ignore them for the most part! For the sake of this chapter, Derek's date of birth is November 7th, which is on his drivers licence in season 1, and Erica's is November 14th, like in the The Hunt game! :)

“You’re coming to my party.” Erica called, trailing Stiles through the cafeteria. “You don’t have a say in the matter.”

“Who do you think you are? Lydia?” Stiles complained, taking a seat beside Isaac and scowling up at Erica. “You can’t just order me to come to your stupid birthday party.”

“Oh, I’m much more awesome than Lydia Martin.” Erica laughed as she sat down opposite him. “You’re going to come, because it’ll sort of be Derek’s party as well. It’s his birthday on Thursday, right?”

“You seriously think Derek is going to go to some joint birthday party?” Stiles scoffed. “Have you even met him?”

“He’ll go if you go.” Erica replied, poking disdainfully at the food on her tray. “He’s scarily under the thumb for an alpha.”

“He is not. If he was, I’d have been able to drag him along to Lydia’s party last week.”

“That was different. That was just some lame Halloween party. For lame people.”

“I’m not badgering him into coming to your party.”

“Yes you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“If you don’t come, I’ll break your finger.” She smiled sweetly, grabbing hold of his pinky finger.

“Fine. I’ll come to your stupid party! Just don’t blame me if Derek gets all growly about it and takes it out on you at the next pack meeting.” He snatched his hand away from Erica and scowled at her.

“Told you he’d fold.” Erica grinned, looking over at Isaac, who rolled his eyes at her.

“Was that one of your first wolfy lessons?” Stiles asked. “Did Derek give you all classes on how to roll your eyes like a bunch of sassy bitches?”

“So what are you getting Derek for his birthday?” Isaac asked, looking from Stiles to Erica as they glared at each other across the table.

“Give him sex coupons!” Erica laughed before Stiles could answer.

“That is not a thing.”

“Of course it is. You go on your computer, make some sex coupons, print them off and give them to him, and then honour the damn things!”

“That’s a stupid idea.”

“No it isn’t. It’s a genius idea. Anyway, it’s making everyone a little uncomfortable watching the two of you eyefuck each other across the warehouse. Give him some coupons and actually do something with him!”

“You’re upsettingly interested in my sex life.” Stiles pouted, feeling himself blush. “I think you might be even more interested in it than either me or Derek are.”

“It’s not a sex life if you’re not having sex.” Erica replied, pushing her tray to one side. “And I’m just trying to help you out!”

“Well you’re not helping. And stop assuming we’re not...you know.”

“If you’re calling it ‘you know’, you’re not having it.” She looked Stiles up and down briefly. “Anyway, you still smell like a virgin.”

“Shut up. You cannot smell if someone’s a virgin or not. You’re making that up.”

“Want a bet? Just man up and let him fuck you!”

“I seriously hate you.” Stiles muttered. “You wouldn’t be saying shit like that if Derek was here.”

“You’ll get over it.” She grinned, leaning over and stealing his cup of jello. “See you in history, virgin!”

“She’s such a dick.” Stiles complained as Erica stalked away, her long hair swinging as she went. He glared at Isaac who shrugged noncommittally, staring intently at his spaghetti and meatballs.

“Don’t drag me into your weird arguments.” He nodded to Scott as he sat down in Erica’s recently vacated seat. “So what are you getting Derek for his birthday, anyway?”

“I have no clue. I’m starting to think I might have to give him sex vouchers.” Stiles sighed.

“Is that even a thing?” Scott asked, a horrified expression on his face. Stiles pointedly ignored the question.

**. o o o .**

“Remind me again why I let you talk me into this?” Derek grumbled, pulling Stiles against him. They were hidden away in a dark corner of Erica’s house, avoiding the rest of the party. Stiles was a little surprised by how many people had shown up, wondering idly to himself if Erica had threatened to break all their fingers as well, but figured it was more likely to do with her post-bite confidence and bossy attitude than threats of actual violence.

“Because Erica wouldn’t shut the hell up. Trust me, I thought the whole thing was a bad idea, it was just the easiest way to make her be quiet.” Stiles replied, leaning back against Derek’s chest. “Although, silver lining; my dad thinks I’m crashing here tonight; he already spoke to Erica’s mom who said people were staying over. Catch my drift?”

“You’re going to stay at mine?”

“Wow, you sure sound excited!” Stiles laughed. “I could crash here like I’m meant to be if you really don’t want me to come back to yours.”

“So how long do you think we have to stay?” Derek asked, kissing the back of Stiles’ neck.

“We’ve only been here for twenty minutes. I’m pretty sure she’ll flip if we leave now. You do realise she’s throwing  this a party for you as well, right? She thinks it's some sort of joint birthday sort of thing.”

“No she doesn’t.”

“She totally does.” Erica snapped, appearing in front of them suddenly. “So stop groping each other in the corner and socialise!” She thrust a plastic cup of beer into Stiles’ hand and stalked away.

“Do we have to?” Derek muttered tightening his arms around Stiles’ stomach.

“Go socialise? I’d rather stay in the corner and get groped. She’ll forget all about us in ten minutes; she’s too busy trying to be Lydia 2.0.”

“Good.” Derek glanced around and slid one hand under Stiles’ shirt, running his fingertips lightly across his stomach and toying with the waistband of his boxers. Stiles choked on a mouth full of beer and wiped his chin with the back of his hand.

“Jesus, are you trying to feel me up in front of a party full of teenagers?” He whispered, letting his head drop back onto Derek’s shoulder. “Since when did you become all grabby handed in public?”

“Sorry.” Derek replied, moving his hand back up Stiles’ abdomen. Stiles laughed and pulled away from him, turning around so he could kiss him happily. Derek slid his arm around Stiles’ waist and shot him a pleading look. “Can we leave yet? I’m too old to be at a high school party.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re too old to be dating me then?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow and draining the last of his beer.

“That’s different.” Derek muttered. “Please?”

 “Well seeing how you’re asking so nicely...” Stiles stepped away, holding out his hand to Derek. They made their way through the crowded house, bumping into Scott, Allison and Isaac in the kitchen, loitering by a table full of food.

“Hey man, we’re taking off.” Stiles shouted over the music, leaning closer to Scott.

“Already? It’s like 10 o clock or something.”

“Got a better offer.” Stiles grinned, looking over his shoulder at Derek, who stood scowling by the back door, hands wedged deep in his jacket pockets, radiating an “I’m bad news” aura.

“Please, spare us the details!” Scott grimaced. “Are you staying at Derek’s tonight then? I thought you weren’t allowed to do that anymore.”

“What my dad doesn’t know and all that.”

“Oh. Hey, you wanna come hang out at my house tomorrow? Been a while since you’ve been over.”

“Maybe.” Stiles replied, looking at Derek again, who nodded emphatically towards the door. “I’ll call you, yeah?” He pulled Scott into a one armed hug, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t tell Erica we’ve gone; she’ll hunt me down and kill me!”

**. o o o .**

“You seriously need to say something to Erica.” Stiles complained as Derek busied himself getting beers from the refrigerator. He smiled to himself when he saw one of the Walking Dead graphic novels he’d bought Derek for his birthday lying open on the coffee table. He’d dragged an annoyed Scott and an indifferent Isaac to the mall three times before deciding on what to buy Derek. For some reason he still wasn’t sure of, he’d also bought him a sketchbook and set of pencils in a wild panic. Not that it had been such a bad idea, he’d realised when he gave Derek his presents; he’d seemed more interested in the sketchbook than in the graphic novels. As he pushed the book to one side, he saw a corner of the sketchbook poking out from underneath it and pulled it out.

“What’s she done now?” He asked wearily, holding a bottle out to Stiles. “And give that here.” He snatched the sketchbook from Stiles’ grasp, throwing it onto the other couch as he sat down. Stiles waved his phone in Derek’s face and took a drink of beer.

“Listen to this – ‘if your reasons for leaving my party so early don’t involve you getting pounded in your lily white ass, I’m going to break your arm’. She’s really starting to piss me off with all this stuff.” He scowled, throwing his phone onto the coffee table and draping his legs over Derek’s thighs.

“So ignore her.”

“You think I haven’t tried that already?”

“How should I know?”

“Well I am trying! It’s not like we sit around braiding each other’s hair and talking about it. She just makes all these wild assumptions. You know she told me to give you ‘sex coupons’ for your birthday?”

“What the hell are sex coupons?”

“Ask Erica, not me!” Stiles cried. “I hold you partly responsible for this, just so you know. She wouldn’t be asking me all this stuff if you hadn’t bitten her. She’s gone all Mean Girls Lindsay Lohan but with vaguely nerdy overtones. I’m genuinely expecting her to have some epic showdown with Lydia in the cafeteria any day now.”

“You know, hearing you bitch about Erica? Not all that interesting.” Derek muttered. “Can’t you talk about something else?”

“I will. Just tell her to stop giving me shit about being a virgin all the time then! She has to listen to you.”

“I’m going to bed.” Derek snapped, pushing Stiles’ legs to one side and getting to his feet. He put his half finished beer on the coffee table and stalked away across the room before Stiles could say anything. Stiles rolled his eyes as the bedroom door slammed and continued drinking his beer. When he finished, he grabbed Derek’s half drunk bottle from the coffee table and drained that as well before getting to his feet and walking over to the closed door.

He pushed the bedroom door open to see Derek lying on his back, his arm over his face. He watched Derek for a few minutes, waiting to see if he would react.

“I’ll go if you want.” Stiles said quietly, leaning against the door frame.

“I don’t want you to go.” Derek muttered.

“Could’ve fooled me.” Stiles sighed. “Why are you pissed at me?”

“I’m not.”

“Really? Well you’re sure acting like you are.” He crossed the room and sat down cautiously on the edge of Derek’s bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Something’s wrong. You were fine when we were at Erica’s house, now you’re all pissy about something.” He toed off his sneakers, letting them fall to the floor with a loud thump. He leant back against the wall and crossed his legs, waiting for Derek to respond.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be with me.” Derek said at last.

“What?” Stiles felt a horrible cold feeling in his stomach. “I thought...I don’t get it. Everything was fine before. I thought you were happy.”

“I am. But it doesn’t seem like you are.” Derek glanced over at him. “What you were saying about Erica. About her giving you shit all the time.”

“So let me get this straight; you’re telling me you don’t think we should be together anymore because Erica can’t shut her big fat mouth?”

“It’s making you unhappy.”

“And you plan on making me happier by trying to break up with me? You think I’d be happier then? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be.”

“She’d stop saying stuff to you at least.”

“But then I wouldn’t have you. I know I keep bitching about it, but if I’m getting any say in this, I’d take being with you and having Erica talk shit everyday than her being quiet and us not being together.”

“Why?”

“Urgh, you’re such an idiot.” Stiles sighed , lying down beside Derek and turning on his side so he could look at him. “Why do I want to be with you? Because I love you, stupid.”

“But Erica...”

“Fuck Erica.” Stiles laughed. “Not literally.” He added when Derek turned to look at him. “You know what? So what if she says stupid shit to me all the time? Yeah, it’s annoying and I wish she’d shut up, but like I said, if being with you means I have to put up with her making jokes and telling me I smell like a virgin, then let her.”

“But...”

“Oh shut up!” He grabbed hold of Derek’s arm, pulling until Derek took the hint and rolled over. “Just shut up. Please?” He fisted his hand in Derek’s t-shirt and kissed him, reaching up and running his free hand through his hair. He felt Derek hesitate for a second before returning the kiss, his arm slipping around Stiles’ waist.

“I can’t believe you just tried to break up with me because Erica’s a bitch.” Stiles laughed, pulling away from Derek and shifting into a more comfortable position.

“Sorry.” Derek mumbled, resting his head on Stiles’ chest. “You do get annoyed about it though, don’t you? The sex stuff?”

“Not really, not anymore.” Stiles replied, trailing his fingers over Derek’s shoulders. “I mean, yeah, it did bother me at first but, I don’t know, I think we’re getting there.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You let me give you a blow job the other day, after all.” He smiled, and felt Derek’s arm tighten around him. “Which I know was probably not the greatest ever, but still kind of progress, right?”

“You’re putting yourself down again.” Derek muttered, sounding sleepy.

“Sorry. I could do it again, if you want. You know, practice and all that.”

“Not right now.”

“You’re just no fun.”

“No, I’m not; I’m tired.”

“Later then?” Stiles grinned, letting go of Derek. He sat up and leant back against the wall, watching Derek as he changed out of his jeans and into his standard lounging-around-his-apartment sweats. “Tomorrow morning? In your car when you drive me home?”

“Shut up Stiles.”

“Make me?”

“No. I’m going to sleep now.” Derek muttered, shoving the blankets aside and lying down. “Go turn the light off.”

“Spoilsport.” Stiles pouted, as he removed his own jeans and shed his plaid shirt and t-shirt. He crossed the room and flicked off the light, fighting back an urge to jump onto the bed. “You’re ok, right?” He asked as he lay down, wrapping his arm around Derek’s stomach.

“Hmm?”

“Felt like you were trying to run for a minute there.”

“Not running, not anymore.” Derek replied, kissing Stiles on the forehead. “I just want you to be happy, that’s all.”

“Want me to write it down for you? You’re what makes me happy. No more being a dick about stuff, OK? Next time I start bitching about Erica just nod along with me or something until I shut up!”

“I’ll talk to her. Then at least I don’t have to listen to you bitch and moan.” Derek yawned, tracing small figures of eight on Stiles’ shoulder.

“Maybe you could threaten to, I don’t know, cut her tongue out or something? Nothing major, just something to stop her talking at me all the time.”

“No.”

“Aww, come on! You threatened to rip my throat out once!”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I was dying at the time.”

“That’s a lame excuse and you know it.” Stiles laughed, pinching Derek’s side. “I can’t twist your arm on threatening her? Not even a tiny bit?”

“Go to sleep Stiles.” Derek replied, moving his hand from Stiles’ shoulder to cover his mouth. “You can ask me stupid questions in the morning.” Stiles scrabbled at Derek’s hand, biting his finger until he finally moved it.

“Love you.” He grinned, pressing a kiss against Derek’s chest. “And don’t worry, I’ll think of a whole bunch of stupid questions I can ask you tomorrow morning for that trying to muzzle me trick.”

“Lucky me.” Derek sighed.

 


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done more words! Sorry it's been a while since this was updated - been stupidly, stupidly busy in work plus being ill last weekend meant I've not had much time to work on this! Enjoy! xx

Stiles was rudely awoken sometime in the early hours of the morning when Derek lashed out and hit him in the back; he'd rolled away from Derek at some point in the night, moving around in his sleep until he was on his front, face buried in the pillow.

"Dude, what the hell?" He cried, turning over to glare at Derek; Derek who was still fast asleep, but muttering and thrashing around nonetheless. As Stiles watched him, he made a wretched whimpering sound and swung his arm out again. Stiles managed to catch hold of Derek's wrist before his hand connected and gripped it tightly; he rubbed his thumb soothingly across Derek's forearm, wondering how he was going wake him from the nightmare he was apparently having. However, before he could say or do anything, Derek's eyes sprang open; even in the darkened room, Stiles could make out the look of sheer panic he shot him, yanking his arm away from Stiles' grip roughly.

"Derek! It's me!" Stiles said quickly, unsure whether he should be moving closer to Derek or backing away from him. "Are you OK?"

"I was having a bad dream." Derek muttered, rubbing his wrist with his other hand. "I thought...never mind."

"Thought what?" Stiles asked quietly, moving closer and resting his hand on Derek's arm.

"It doesn't matter. It was just a dream." Derek sat upright, dislodging Stiles' hand; he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and leant back against the wall. Stiles struggled into a sitting position, and watched him.

"You OK?" He asked warily.

"What? Yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Stiles stretched and yawned. "You look freaked out."

"I am not freaked out. I just had a bad dream, OK."

"About what?"

"The fire. Stuff about Laura. It happens sometimes." Derek admitted at last.

"Shit. How often?"

"Not as much as it used to." He stretched and wrapped one arm around Stiles' shoulders, pulling him close. "I didn't think it would happen while you were here. Those times I stayed at yours, I slept better than I normally do. No dreams or anything."

"What was so different tonight?" Stiles asked, resting his head on Derek's shoulder and casually draping an arm across his waist.

"Don't know. I was thinking about Laura a lot today; it was just after my birthday last year when she left New York."

"Why didn't you say something before? We could have skipped Erica's dumb party and just hung out here."

"What was the point? It wouldn't have changed anything." He sighed and hugged Stiles tightly against him.

"It might have done. You can tell me when stuff like that's bothering you, you know."

"You've been happy all day though. What would be the point of us both being down about stuff?"

"Don't be stupid. I'd rather you talked about stuff even if it is sad stuff than sit there being sad on your own. I don't like it when you're sad." Stiles sighed, kissing Derek's chest.

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Wanna talk about it now?"

"Not really." He huffed, rolling his eyes when he saw the scowl on Stiles' face. "I will try next time I get like that, OK? Just don't want to right now. Sorry I hit you by the way."

"Pfft. That? That was nothing!" Stiles laughed. "I thought you're meant to be some super strong alpha werewolf? I bet it won't even bruise!"

"You bruise if someone looks at you wrong." Derek supplied, reaching up and pulling on Stiles' hair.

"Maybe that's some kind of universal balance sort of thing." Stiles said. "You know, 'cause you don't bruise at all."

"If you say so." He removed his arm from Stiles' shoulders and yawned. "Come on, move. I'm tired."

"Nope!"

"Don't nope me. I'm going back to sleep. That means let go of me." He pushed Stiles' arm off his stomach and glared at him.

"Hell no! You woke me up, you suffer the consequences!" Stiles laughed, scrambling out from under the blankets and straddling Derek's legs.

"This seems a little pushy, even for you." Derek smiled, running his hands up and down Stiles' thighs. "When I said move, this wasn't really what I had in mind."

"Oh, you want me to move?" Stiles asked mischievously, rocking his hips slightly and making Derek moan. "Like this?" He lowered his head and kissed Derek, slow and deep.

"No, not like that." Derek muttered. "I meant it when I said I was tired, you know."

"Yeah but it doesn't, uh, feel like you're that upset."

"Shut up." Derek tilted his head back, watching the expression on Stiles' face through half closed eyes, trailing his fingers up his thighs. Stiles smiled in the darkness, leaning forward to kiss and nibble at Derek's exposed neck; Derek bit back a little groan of pleasure, lifting his hips slightly to press against Stiles;

"You like?" Stiles asked quietly. Derek nodded, gasping a little when Stiles bit down hard on his neck, sucking and licking over the mark as if to sooth it. He moved his hand up to the back of Stiles' head, tugging on his hair to draw his attention away from his neck. He watched Stiles for a moment as he sat upright, a needy look on his face as he ran his tongue over his lips.

"Kiss me?" Derek asked, pulling at Stiles until he leant down and obliged, licking into Derek's mouth and moaning blissfully. He put his hand flat against Derek's chest to steady himself, tracing the line of his collarbone with his fingertips as Derek's tongue invaded his mouth.

"You know what?" Stiles asked softly, rolling his hips again to see if he could get Derek to repeat his previous filthy moan. "I'm thinking this would be much more fun if you lost the sweatpants."

"I...no" Derek replied, grabbing hold of Stiles' hips and holding him still.

"Aww, you're no fun." Stiles pouted, trying to wriggle out of Derek's grip. "I was just thinking, uh, you know, sex? All we need right now is less clothes, bit of lube and we'd be in business." He gave Derek an embarrassed grin, wondering if he could tell he was blushing in the dark or not. Blush or not, he'd apparently said the wrong thing; Derek tensed up and pushed him roughly to one side.

"Stop it." Derek told him, shuffling down the bed so he could lie down, turning his back on Stiles.

"Sorry." Stiles mumbled, lying down and pressing up close to Derek's back, resting his hand tentatively on his hip. He heard Derek make an annoyed sound and bristled. "Great, you're pissed off with me again?"

"No."

"What's the matter then?"

"Pissed off with myself." Derek replied, his words slightly muffled as he turned his face against the pillow.

"Will you at least turn round and talk to me like a normal person?" Stiles sighed, pulling at Derek's hip. Derek snorted but obliged anyway, frowning at Stiles and grudgingly letting himself be pulled into a hug. "So come on, what's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"Is it 'cause you don't really want to have sex with me? And you're just saying that you do to keep me quiet?"

"God no, I want to. I want to so much." Derek whispered, his eyes downcast. "Thinking it and wanting it is one thing though; actually going through with it is another thing altogether."

"Why? What stops you?" Stiles asked, stroking Derek's hair. "Is it the whole you're much stronger than me? You think you're going to hurt me?"

"How would I hurt you?"

"Well you know, the, um, mechanics of it? You might be Mr Werewolf and have like 60 pounds on me or whatever, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to break when you put your dick in me." Stiles pulled a face as his ears caught up with what he said. "Sorry, that sounded more crude than I meant it to. You know what I'm getting at though. I'm not all fragile or anything if that's what the problem is."

"Um." Derek lowered his head, his forehead pressed against Stiles' shoulder instead. "When we do it, I was kind of thinking it would be the other way round."

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean. I'd want you to top or whatever." He shifted uncomfortably, keeping his head down.

"Really?" Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Is this just all part of you being scared of hurting me?"

"No." Derek replied; Stiles could feel Derek's already warm skin growing hotter and wonder if he was blushing. "When I think about it that's always how I imagine it."

"Oh. OK. Well, I can work with that." Stiles laughed, planting a kiss on the top of Derek's head. "Hey wait, are you scared _I'm_ going to hurt _you_?"

"No. Even if you did, I'd heal. I guess I'm worried that we'll finally do it and it won't be great and you'll...leave me or something."

"You mean you think I won't be any good at it?" Stiles laughed nervously. "Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

"You know what I mean. It might change things between us. "

"Dude, we could have the worse sex known to man and never want to do it again and I'd still stay with you, because guess what, I love you."

"I know you do now but you might not feel that way afterwards."

"Oh my god. You realise you're even worse than me for being ridiculous and insecure about this stuff?" Stiles laughed and hugged Derek tightly.

"You realise I've got reasons to be?" Derek replied irritably.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't know how to do all this relationship stuff; it's easier to make jokes about it, I guess."

"Easier for you maybe."

"I said I was sorry." Stiles pouted, leaning forward and kissing Derek, who returned the kiss hesitantly after a few seconds hesitation. "I'm not trying to be a dick about all this stuff. It's just sometimes my stupid brain runs away with an idea before I realise what I'm saying."

"It's OK." Derek sighed, running his hand down Stiles' ribs and letting it come to a rest on his hip.

"It's not really though, is it?" Stiles mumbled. "It's pretty shitty of me to keep picking at it when I know it's not something you're comfortable with right now."

"I said it's fine. Just leave it."

"Fine. If that's what you want." Stiles replied dejectedly; he watched Derek as he moved closer, wishing there was some way he could convince him to actually talk things through instead of just shutting down a conversation with an 'it's fine'. He felt Derek's arm tighten around his waist and promptly forgot all about the aborted discussion, unable to stop himself from grinning when Derek pulled him into a hungry kiss. He wriggled closer, pushing one leg between Derek's and sliding his hand under the waistband of his sweatpants. He could feel his brain starting to do it's shutting down and focusing on nothing but Derek's tongue in his mouth trick and didn't care. He dragged his fingernails down Derek's back, a little whine escaping from his lips as Derek arched his hips forwards, digging his nails into Stiles' hip as his erect cock pressed up against Stiles' own.

"You, uh, like that then?" Stiles asked, breaking away from their kiss and scratching his way down Derek's back again. Derek nodded, leaning forward and trying to kiss Stiles again as he pushed his hand into his underwear. Stiles wriggled backwards, pulling Derek's hand from his boxer shorts. "No, no, no. I've got to wear these home tomorrow. You want to do that, these come off first 'cause walking around in come-covered boxers is pretty damn gross."

"So take them off." Derek replied, reaching over and tugging the waistband down an inch or two.

"Didn't we literally just have this same conversation about your sweats?" Stiles asked as he struggled out of his underwear, trying to stay under the warm blankets the whole time. "It seems a bit unfair for you to suddenly demand that I get naked if I can't do the same to you!"

"I didn't demand anything, you're choosing to take them off." Derek answered, gently pushing Stiles onto his back and running his hand across his stomach. He propped himself up on one elbow so he could watch Stiles as he reached out and wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking him languidly, his own erection brushing against Stiles' hip.

"Well maybe I'm demanding you take them off now." Stiles told him between little moans of pleasure. "Please?" He added when Derek frowned at him.

"Fine." Derek huffed, rolling off the bed and shucking off his sweatpants, slipping back under the blankets while Stiles' eyed him appreciatively,

"That's like 200% better." Stiles grinned as Derek resumed his previous position, his warm hand wrapped tightly around Stiles' cock. Feeling emboldened by Derek doing what he'd asked, he twisted slightly onto his side, grabbing Derek around the back of the neck and pulling him down into a filthy kiss, moaning as Derek continued to stroke his dick. He let go of Derek's neck, running his hand down his back and over his hip. Derek pressed up against him, which Stiles took as a cue to reach over and start stroking Derek's cock in return. The angle was a little awkward, but apparently he was doing something right as Derek soon started moaning, his kisses becoming more and more urgently as his hand moved faster on Stiles' cock.

Derek suddenly broke their kiss, breathing heavily and buried his face against Stiles' shoulder, so he could graze his collarbone with his teeth. Stiles frowned briefly, nudging Derek with his shoulder until he looked up at him, his eyes wide.

"Are you..." Stiles started to ask, his hand moving quickly on Derek's cock; Derek nodded hurriedly, his mouth dropping open as he came across Stiles' stomach with a little grunt of pleasure. The look on his face pushed Stiles over the edge, and he gasped his way through his own orgasm, his hand slipping away from Derek's cock as he came.

"Do you have any idea how unreasonably attractive you are when you come?" Stiles laughed, feeling slightly light headed as he watched Derek grab a t-shirt from the floor beside the bed to wipe his hand clean.

"You think you don't look attractive when you come, right?" Derek commented, frowning as Stiles dragged a finger through the sticky mess on his stomach. Derek rolled his eyes and held out the soiled t-shirt out to him so he could clean up.

"I think I probably just look stupid." He laughed, throwing the t-shirt across the room. "That or surprised that someone other than myself is touching my dick."

Derek gave a short laughed and flopped back down. "I like the way you smell right now." He told Stiles, sounding almost shy.

"Why, what do I smell like?"

"Like both of us, idiot." Derek huffed, snuggling closer to Stiles and pressing a kiss against his neck.

"Freak."

"Shut up."

"Nope." Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulder, hugging him tightly. He squirmed as Derek sucked hard on the thin skin below his ear and slapped him on the back. "Stop that! My dad will kill me if he sees that! And probably you as well, now he knows who's being doing that to my neck!" Derek ignored him and moved his head lower, biting and sucking another hickey onto Stiles' neck. Stiles pushed at Derek until he finally moved away, ducking his head down and biting hard on his neck to return the favour.

"And you say I'm a freak." Derek mumbled as Stiles bit him again, pulling on his hair in a bid to stop him.

"You are." Stiles replied, moving his head to the other side of Derek's neck and biting him again. "Case in point, these are going to heal in minutes. That's freakish." He finally pulled away and pressed a gently kiss against the corner of Derek's mouth, "But you know what? I still love you, even if I can't give you a damn hickey!"

"Good. Because I love you too." Derek smiled, disentangling himself from Stiles and rolling over. "Now please shut up and go to sleep." Stiles laughed, sliding closer to Derek and slipping his arm around his waist.

"G'night, little spoon." He teased, pressing a kiss against the back of Derek's neck, earning himself a sharp elbow in the stomach as a response. A pleasant post-orgasmic sense of sleepiness washed over him; this combined with the comforting feeling of his arm wrapped around a decidedly naked Derek meant he was asleep in a matter of minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I might seem like I'm blueballing people a bit with the whole lack of sex in this; I've got a lot of opinions and headcanon on the subject of Derek and sex, which I'm not going to explain in great detail here - feel free to message me though if you want complain about that or ask more! :)


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think a lot of my previous chapters may have got people hating on poor Erica. Don't hate on Erica folks, it's not cool! ;)

“Why does your phone keep beeping?” Derek demanded, pulling his sweats back on as he got out of bed, scowling at Stiles briefly before stalking out of the room. Stiles leant over the edge of the bed and groped around for his jeans, pulling his phone from the pocket and squinting at the too bright screen.

“It’s Scott.” Stiles yawned. “He wants to know if we want to meet them all at IHOP for breakfast.”

“I’m not going to IHOP.” Derek muttered, sticking his head back around the bedroom door. “Are you ever going to get out of bed?”

“Do I have to?” Stiles complained, pulling the blankets up further. “It’s all nice and warm here. Anyway, you’ll have to drive there to drop me off because I’m totally having pancakes so you might as well come in. We should apologise to Erica for skipping out on her party.”

“I don’t like pancakes.”

“Don’t be stupid. Everyone likes pancakes. Go take your shower. I’m bored of looking at your grumpy face.” Stiles shuffled around and got comfortable again, tuning out the further complaints Derek made as he went into the bathroom. The warmth of the blankets and the comforting smell of Derek lingering on them meant that he quickly drifted off to sleep again.

“Get up!” Derek shook him roughly and threw the blankets to one side.

“Why are you so mean to me?” Stiles cried, rolling onto his front and burying his face in the pillows.

“Because you won’t get out of bed.” Derek muttered, pulling the pillow away from him. He was already fully dressed, complete with an angry scowl on his face.

“Maybe you should get back in bed.” Stiles suggested, reaching over and grabbing for the blankets; blushing when he remembered that he was naked. “Please?”

“No. Get up.”

“Fine.” Stiles rolled back over and sat up, pouting at Derek. “You could have just asked nicely, you know.”

“I already did. You ignored me.”

“Urgh! Just for the record, I hate you right now.” Stiles groused, leaning down to look for his underwear.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow as Stiles got his leg tangled in his jeans.

“No, I’m going to go eat pancakes.”

“You stink of come. They’re all going to notice as soon as you walk in.”

“Maybe I want them to.” Stiles grinned wickedly. He pulled on his t-shirt and hoodie, deciding that he couldn’t be bothered finding the shirt he’d worn last night. “It’s not like they don’t know about us now.”

“You’re trying to prove a point, aren’t you?” Derek complained, turning to the shabby wardrobe in the corner and grabbing a jacket. Stiles was surprised to see that it wasn’t one of his trademark leather jackets, but a black zip up hoodie, which looked more like it belonged in his own closet than Derek’s. “Do you really think Erica will stop giving you attitude if you turn up smelling of sex?”

“Erica’ll probably never stop giving me attitude. Smelling of you makes no difference to the amount of attitude I get from her.” Stiles complained. “And I’m not really trying to prove a point. I just don’t want to shower in your crappy the pressure is so low it’s non-existent shower.”

“It’s distracting.”

“Only to you.” Stiles laughed, slipping his arms around Derek’s waist and resting his forehead against his shoulder. “And seeing how you’re some kind of pancake hating freak and won’t be there, it’s not going to be an issue, is it?”

“You’ll distract me in the car.” Derek nosed at Stiles’ cheek until he lifted his head and kissed him.

“Like how I’m distracting you now?” Stiles asked, putting his hands in the back pockets of Derek’s jeans.

“Mm-hmm.” Derek bowed his head and pressed his nose against Stiles’ neck, inhaling deeply. “I like how you smell right now.”

“So stop complaining that I haven’t showered, you big weirdo!”

“Not weird.”

“Yes, yes you are. But that’s why I love you.” Stiles teased, planting a kiss against Derek’s cheekbone. “Now are you going to drive me to where the pancakes live or not?”

**. o o o .**

“Please come in with me.” Stiles begged as Derek pulled up in the parking lot and cut the engine. He could see the rest of the pack, plus a petite, dark-haired girl he vaguely recognised from school, lounging against Erica and Scott’s cars near the restaurant door.

“No. I spent enough time hanging out with high school kids last night.”

“But Erica’s there! She’s going to be a bitch about last night! You can be all alpha at her and save me from getting mauled before I even get my pancakes!”

“No.” Derek looked over at the others. “I’ll wait here for you though so I can give you a ride home after.”

“Don’t be stupid. They’ve seen you now anyway.” Stiles said, gesturing to where Isaac was waving wildly, a huge grin on his face. “Stop being a dick and come eat pancakes.”

“I don’t like...”

“So eat a fucking waffle instead then!” Stiles cut him off. “If you don’t come in, Isaac might cry. Do you really want that on your conscience?”

Derek evidently did not want that on his conscience and huffed his way out of the car, slamming the door and scowling at Stiles over the roof. Stiles decided to do the mature thing and ignore the scowls, bouncing around to Derek’s side of the car and hugging him. Derek pushed him off and started walking quickly towards the restaurant leaving Stiles to trail after him.

“Hey.” Stiles grabbed hold of Derek’s arm, stopping him in his tracks and tugging his hood to one side. “What’s going on with your neck? Why haven’t those gone away?” He poked at the hickeys on Derek’s neck, not caring that the others could see them.

“I like them.” Derek admitted, rubbing his neck and looking faintly embarrassed. “I can control the healing you know. I’m hardly going to stop a broken arm from healing though, am I?”

“But they’re all going to see them!” Stiles complained, letting go of Derek’s arm.

“So? They’re going to see your neck as well. Now we match.”

“Now we match? Really? That sounds like something I’d say, not you. Since when do you get all couple-y?”

“Are you complaining?” Derek asked, catching hold of Stiles’ hand and squeezing it lightly. “I’m feeling happy today, OK?”

“Not complaining at all. It’s nice.” Stiles laughed, pressing a kiss against the side of Derek’s neck. “Although maybe you should make your face match if you’re feeling happy. You look like someone’s kicked your puppy.”

“Put him down Stiles!” Scott’s voice floated across the parking lot. Stiles let go of Derek, smiling shyly at him and squeezing his hand, dragging him towards the rest of the pack, feeling very pleased, and not at all smug – thank you – about how quickly he’d been able to convince Derek to abandon his terrible sitting in the parking lot and waiting plan.

**. o o o .**

Stiles was sitting at his desk, glaring down at his open Spanish textbook. He’d texted Derek three times in the last ten minutes, begging him to give up whatever vague plans he had with Isaac and come and help him with the homework he probably should have done on Friday night. Much to Stiles’ annoyance, Derek had refused, leaving him to struggle on alone with the imperfect tense.

“Stiles! Visitor!” His dad called from downstairs. Stiles perked up, hoping that Derek had changed his mind, or failing that, that Scott had somehow sniffed out his Spanish woes and come over to help him. He frowned when he heard an unfamiliar knock on his bedroom door.

“You’re really not the werewolf I want to see in my house.” Stiles glowered as he opened the door to reveal Erica standing nervously in the hall way. “Turning up at my house to make jokes about me? That’s dedication, even for you.”

“Stop pouting. I came to say sorry.” Erica replied, flouncing into his room and sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I got a major lecture off Derek this morning after he brought you home. Why didn’t you say that I was pissing you off?”

“What!? I’ve literally lost count of the number of times I told you to shut up!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it was actually upsetting you.” Erica twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “Sorry.”

“Well it was. That was why I kept telling you to shut up and stop going on about it.”

“Look, I’m apologising now, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, well, thanks I guess.” He looked up at the door expectantly, frowning when Erica failed to take the hint.

“It’s just kind of weirded me out a bit. You and Derek.”

“So what? That doesn’t give you the right to be a bitch to me and make jokes about my sex life the whole time. And if you make any sort of comment about how it’s not a sex life if we’re not having sex, I swear to god, I’ll punch you in the face. I don’t care if you’re a girl.”

“What do you mean, not having sex? Everyone could smell _that_ at IHOP this morning you know.” Erica wrinkled her nose, waving her hand in the general direction of Stiles’ crotch.

“Nothing. What’s so weird about me and Derek dating?”

“Look, it’s kind of like you and Lydia OK? You can’t seriously tell me that you’re OK with her and Jackson being back together, even though you’re with Derek now, can you?”

“Hadn’t even crossed my mind.” Stiles replied. “And don’t pull that stupid face at me, you know I’m not lying. What exactly are you saying anyway? What’s Lydia got to do with anything?”

“I liked you for ages, you know that. And yeah, I’m with Boyd now and I guess I love him, but it still feels kind of weird knowing that you’re with Derek. Especially Derek. It would have been weird with anyone, but he’s my alpha, it makes it even weirder for me.”

“So you’ve been giving me shit about my sex life because you used to have a crush on me but you don’t now and yet you’re still weirded out about me not being single? That’s pretty....bizarre.”

“I’ve never pretended I’m not bizarre.” Erica grinned. “Just accept my apology and we can forget about it, OK?”

“Fine. Apology accepted.”

“Thank you.” She pushed her hair out of her face and watched him intently. “I am happy for you both, you know. Even if I have been a bitch about it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of hard not to be when the two of you are together.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Stiles asked, scooting his desk chair closer to the bed so he could prop his feet up.

“Just the way he looks at you. It’s cute.” She kicked her shoes off and tucked her legs up underneath herself.

“Why? How does he look at me?”

“You’re seriously telling me you didn’t notice that this morning?” She laughed. “He’s always looking at you with this...I don’t know...dreamy look on his face. Like everything else has stopped existing or something. And that whole deliberately not healing those great big hickeys on his neck thing? He’s crazy in to you.”

“Well good, because I’m crazy in to him too.” Stiles admitted, blushing slightly as he grinned.

“Yeah, the great big hickeys sort of give that away.” Erica fiddled with her hair again and looked down at the floor. “Do you love him?”

“Yes. Why? Does that make things weirder for you or something?” Stiles replied, methodically colouring in the centres of the ‘o’s’ in his Spanish textbook as he tried to remember how he’d been dragged into this impromptu feelings-sharing session in the first place.

“No! I just wondered. Stop pretending like you don’t like talking about it, you’ve got such a shit eating grin on your face right now.”

“I have not.”

“Yes you have. So has he said it back to you yet?”

“Of course he has. Why wouldn’t he have?”

“Because he’s Derek? He’s the king of emotional baggage and not talking about his feelings.”

“With you maybe.” Stiles smirked. “Just because he threw you on the floor when you tried to kiss him doesn’t mean he’s like that with me!”

“He told you about that?!”

“Yep.”

“I can’t believe he told you. Anyway, I wasn’t trying to kiss him kiss him. I was trying to surprise him. It was a training thing.” Erica snapped, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Yeah right. Are you jealous that I get to kiss Derek?”

“No! Because I get to kiss Boyd.” She watched him for a minute, her head tilted to one side. “Anyway, despite the fact that you two weirded me out at first, the idea of you kissing Derek is actually kind of hot. Like that picture you’ve got on your phone...yum!”

“Shut up.”

“I’m being serious!”

“I’m ignoring you now.” Stiles replied, blushing furiously and turning his attention back to his homework so he wouldn’t have to look at the smug grin on Erica’s face.

“Aww, you’ve gone all shy! That’s so cute!”

“Fuck off!”

“I’m allowed to tease you about that. It’s not the same as teasing you about sex.”

“I’m not talking to you about me and Derek anymore. Talk about something else or go away, I’ve got homework to do.”

“Be nice. If I hadn’t had my party, you wouldn’t have been able to stay at Derek’s last night.” She told him in a hushed voice. “And then you wouldn’t have been able to turn up to breakfast covered in hickeys and stinking of come. Doesn't he have a shower at his place?”

“Yeah, alright, thanks for that. Now please stop going on about what I may or may not have smelled of. Scott’s been IMing me all day and complaining about it. Apparently I put him off his pancakes.”

“So you did it last night then?”

“Pretty sure that counts as either you making jokes about my sex life, or talking to you about me and Derek.” Stiles grumbled, slamming his textbook closed. “Talk about something else.”

“Like what? I can’t think of anything.”

“Fine, I’ll think of something. And we’ll talk about that instead and if you make one reference to Derek, I’ll kick you out.”

“You’re no fun.”

“What’s the deal with what’s-her-face? Sophomore girl.” Stiles asked as he moved from his chair to sit on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. “Is she stalking Isaac or something?”

“Tien? She’s not stalking him! They hooked up last night at my party.”

“He didn’t exactly seem happy about her coming to breakfast.”

“He was being a complete asshole this morning; it’s a good thing she isn’t a wolf! I could hear everything he was saying about her when we were in the bathroom.”

“So he doesn’t want to date her.” Stiles yawned. “It’s not a crime.”

“Yeah but he doesn’t need to be a jerk about it.” Erica complained, shuffling around until she could tuck her feet under Stiles’ comforter. “She’s so sweet.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want sweet. Maybe he just wanted a blow job.” Stiles shrugged.

“Urgh. You’re such a boy.”

“Yep.”

“Don’t you think they looked cute together this morning though?”

“I don’t know! I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have been groping Derek under the table.”

“Hey!”

“That wasn’t talking about you and Derek! That was explaining why you missed stuff this morning! That’s allowed.”

“Why are you trying to get me to gossip about Isaac?” Stiles asked, frowning at her. “Why can’t you go and talk to him about it instead? Or talk to one of your girl friends?”

“Don’t know.” Erica looked down at her feet, a melancholy expression on her face. Stiles softened slightly; it suddenly occurred to him that at school Erica hung out exclusively with the rest of the pack and that he’d never seen her with any girlfriends. He wondered if that was more to do with her former status of being the weird girl who had fits, or because she’d come on too strong after the bite and scared everyone off; he felt a little sad as he considered this. Despite all her jokes and crass remarks about him and Derek, Erica had become quite a good friend over the summer and the miserable look on her face was making him sad. He stretched his leg out over the comforter and nudged her foot, making her look up.

“Help me with my Spanish homework then you can have ten minutes gossiping time.” He suggested.

“I take French.” Erica frowned, hugging her knees against her chest. “The total Spanish I know is ‘por favor’ and ‘gracias’.”

“So watch me while I struggle then you can have ten minutes gossiping time.” He reached for the composition pad he’d been scribbling in and flicked back through his textbook to the right page. “I’m not saying I’m going to start agreeing with you on Isaac should go out with some girl because ‘they look cute’ though. Just giving you a heads up.”

“Would you rather we talked about your sex life?” Erica asked, flashing him a smile. “Too soon to joke about that, huh?” She added when Stiles snarled at her.

Two hours later, Stiles still hadn’t finished his homework, but was too involved in a heated debate about whether or not Thor 2 would be better than Iron Man 3 to care; figuring that he’d go to Derek’s apartment after school the next day and irritate him into sharing his superior language skills. That or make out with him until he forgot all about his Spanish homework again.

 


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever have one of those days where you suddenly realise you only meant to write a relatively short Sterek fic but it's two months later and you've written more words than Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? I'm still not even near finishing this despite having written the ending! Sorry! I think I need HALP.

“I brought party favours!” Stiles grinned widely, pulling a small plastic bag from his pocket and throwing it to Derek.

“You brought weed.” Derek commented, looking up at him in surprise. “I thought you’d got over your rebellious stoner phase.”

“I have! I just thought it’d be fun to sit around and get high and watch Jackass or something.” He beamed at Derek again, feeling very pleased with himself. “Come on. I know you still haven’t seen the third movie.”

“Fine. As long as I’m not going to get the blame when you go home stinking of this.” He shook the little bag at Stiles.

“My dad’s been called into work on short notice. He won’t be home until the morning. I’ll be able to get a shower before he gets back.” He flopped down on the couch beside Derek, snuggling in to his side and smiling contentedly when Derek wrapped his arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. “You know, for someone comprised of nothing but solid muscle, you’re surprisingly nice to hug.” He laughed, patting Derek’s stomach.

“Shut up.” Derek muttered, pushing him away. “Go put the DVD on.”

Stiles did as he was told, throwing his tobacco and rolling papers to Derek while he wrestled the DVD from its case. He sat back down, propping his feet up on the coffee table and spotting the sketchbook he’d bought Derek for his birthday, a pencil wedged in it to mark a page.

“You use that?” He asked, poking at it with his foot.

“Yeah, sometimes.” Derek replied, leaning forward and grabbing the sketchbook, wedging it down the side of the couch beside him.

“I wasn’t going to look.” Stiles told him, raising an eyebrow. “Paranoid much?” He twisted sideways on the couch and jammed his feet underneath Derek’s thigh. Derek glanced over at him and smiled, resting his arm on Stiles’ leg. He turned his attention back to the TV, absent mindedly stroking Stiles’ knee with a finger tip.

“We should totally play truth or dare.” Stiles yawned as on screen, the credits rolled. He’d fallen asleep halfway through the movie and woken up to find Derek sat on the other couch, completely engrossed in what was happening on screen. He’d watched him sleepily for a few minutes, enjoying the amused smile that had played across Derek’s face before he’d realised he was being watched. Now he was fiddling with Derek’s lighter, trying to light it by snapping his fingers against the flint wheel.

“How do you play truth or dare with two people?” Derek asked, not looking up from the joint he was rolling, having grown fed up of watching Stiles try and fail to do it himself.

“Same way you play it with more than two people.” Stiles rolled onto his side so he could see the TV better. “Only I don’t know if I want to do any dares because that might mean moving from the couch.”

“So you’re going to ask me a bunch of questions? How is that different from any other day? Lighter.” He held his hand out to Stiles who sighed dramatically, snapping Derek’s zippo closed and tossing it to him.

“You can ask me stuff too.”

“What’s the point of that? You tell me things whether I want you to or not.”

“I don’t tell you everything. I bet there’s tons of stuff you don’t know about me.”

“You’re not going to stop asking, are you?” Derek muttered as he lit the joint.

“Nope.”

“Fine.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to get all grouchy pants on me if I start asking you stuff? Personal stuff?”

“I don’t know. Depends what you ask me.”

“I’m willing to accept that risk.” Stiles laughed, scratching his stomach through his t-shirt and smiling over at Derek. “Are you going to be using your stupid natural polygraph on me? ‘Cause that seems a little unfair...”

“So don’t lie about things. Isn’t that the whole point of this stupid game?”

“Fine. I get to start though.” Stiles demanded, sitting upright and watching Derek, who shrugged before passing the joint over to him.

“If you say so.”

“Umm...Ok.” Stiles spun his phone between the fingers of his free hand, trying to think of a question. “OK, I’ve got one. Who annoyed you more when we first met? Me or Scott?”

“You both irritated me. At least Scott had an excuse.” Derek teased, flashing Stiles a small smile.

“So I do I still irritate you?”

“Yes. Do I get to ask a question now?”

“You’re going to ask something lame, aren’t you? I bet you’ve never played truth or dare before in your life, have you?”

“Of course I have. Just not since I was 13.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Why do you always assume that I didn’t have a life before you and Scott wandered into the woods that day?”

“Sorry. Go on then, ask your lame question.”

“Do you wish you’d been bitten instead of Scott?”

“God no. I’d make a horrible werewolf. I don’t even make a very good human.”

“You’re better than most humans I know.”

“Aww.” Stiles blushed. “You know, if I was wishing stuff, I’d probably wish Scott didn’t get bitten ‘cause his life’s hardly been a bed of roses since, but then if he hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t have met you and, well, yeah.” He gestured from himself to Derek, grinning openly.

“I guess.”

“Next question.” Stiles stated, getting up and crossing to where Derek sat, leaning against him. “Why do you carry on living in this kind of crappy apartment? I know you can afford something nicer.”

“Don’t need anything more.” Derek shrugged. “It’s somewhere to sleep.”

“Yeah but you could afford to sleep somewhere with carpets and a decent shower.”

“Guess I got used to crummy apartments from when I was with Laura. We never stayed anywhere where we’d get too much attention. Landlords who keep shitty properties generally don’t ask too many questions about teenagers renting from them.”

“But if you’re not doing the whole running away thing anymore, why don’t you get some place nicer?”

“I don’t want to. Is it my turn to ask you something now?”

“If you have to.”

“Why do you keep deflecting whenever anyone mentions college to you?”

“I do not...” Stiles started; Derek raised an eyebrow at him. “OK, maybe I do, but in my defence, you weren’t supposed to notice.”

“Why?” Derek repeated.

“I can’t say. You’ll think it’s lame and creepy.”

“You started this stupid truth or dare thing. Answer the question.”

“I don’t want to leave town. Because that’d mean leaving you. And that sounds really, really pathetic, considering we haven’t been together all that long and we might not even be together by the time I go to college.”

“Why wouldn’t we be together?”

“I don’t know! Because it’s like two years away. You could, I don’t know, meet your soul mate or something tomorrow, or finally recover from whatever head trauma made you think I’m a good choice of boyfriend. Who knows what might happen.”

“Stop being stupid. A, there’s no such thing as soul mates, and B, stop putting yourself down, it’s not cute.”

“If there’s no such thing as soul mates, how do you explain Lydia and Jackson?” Stiles asked.

“Why does soul mates have to be the explanation?”

“Because that’s what was in Peter’s files! About how to stop the Kanima. Seriously? You don’t think that’s a thing?”

“Are you actually asking what I think or asking if I think you’re mine?” Derek raised an eyebrow. Stiles blushed, looking away with a frustrated expression on his face.

“Shut up.”

“It’s not a real thing. Whatever Twilight bullshit you’ve been reading online is wrong.”

“Alright, I get it!” Stiles frowned at Derek. “Stop looking at me like that. I just thought it might be true, you know. ‘Cause I don’t know how else to explain why I’m so into you.”

“Why do you need to explain it?” Derek asked, reaching over and taking hold of Stiles’ hand. “Look, I love you, OK? Even if you make me do stupid stuff like play truth or dare. I don’t want to be with anyone else, whether you go to college or not. OK?” He squeezed Stiles’ hand for emphasis.

“Yeah, OK.” Stiles mumbled, looking down at the floor. “I love your stupid ass too. I’m still not sold on the whole college thing though. Why do I have to decide what I want to be when I grow up already?”

“You? Grow up?” Derek teased, bumping his shoulder against Stiles’.

“Oh haha. Aren’t you just hilarious tonight?”

“Very. Go on, ask me something.”

 “What were you like before? Like when you were my age?”

“Before Kate you mean?” Derek asked, clenching his fist momentarily. “Normal, I guess? What do you want me to say? I used to go to school, hang out with my friends, nothing special.”

“Yeah but what were you actually like?”

“Kind of popular, I suppose? But quiet too. Laura and Joseph were both really popular in high school, so I more popular by association. But I was good at sport so that helped.”

“So you were kind of like Jackson?” Stiles teased.

“No.”

“Right, because Jackson’s a douchebag. And you’re not.”

“If you say so.”

“You think you’re a douchebag?” Stiles grinned.

“No. I just don’t think Jackson’s as bad as you and Scott make him out to be.”

“Well maybe you would if he’d been a dick towards you since kindergarten.” Stiles complained. “I’ve known the guy since I was four. Trust me, he’s as much of a douchebag as we think he is. I’m very OK with him being on the other side of the country right now.”

“I’m not. He’s part of my pack. He should be here.”

“Lydia said he’s coming back for winter vacation, so you can stop your stupid sulking and have wolf time with him then.” He sighed dramatically. “Can we please stop talking about Jackson now?”

“You started it.”

“Very mature argument, Derek.”

“You’re making me play truth or dare, you don’t exactly have the upper hand in maturity here.”

“So ask me another question, loser.”

“Have I ever scared you?”

“All the time.” Stiles laughed easily. “What do you mean scared me? Like properly scared me?”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t really. I mean, I’ve watched you do some stuff that should have scared me but it didn’t.”

“Even when I killed Peter?”

“That wasn’t scary. Kind of gross, but not scary. Which probably means I’m all desensitized or something; maybe my dad had a point about playing Grand Theft Auto all the time.” He laughed.

“You used to smell like you were scared of me.”

“That was a general ‘oh god, my life is suddenly full of werewolves scared’, not so much ‘Derek scares me scared’. You did really scare me one time.” Stiles said thoughtfully, chewing on his fingernail.

“When?” Derek pounced, looking worried.

“That night in the pool.”

“That’s when I scared you? Why?”

“I thought you’d be underwater for too long when I dropped my phone. Thought you might have...you know.” Stiles shrugged. “Why, what were you expecting me to say?”

“Not that.” Derek replied, his brows knotting together in confusion. “Really? That was the only time?”

“Well apart from that time you and the leatherettes wanted to kill Lydia, yeah. That kind of freaked me out.”

“Oh.”

“You sound so upset about that. Did you used to try and scare me then?”

“No.”

“You’re lying. Admit it, you used to try and scare me all the time, didn’t you.” Stiles laughed. “I distinctly remember being slammed against my bedroom door and threatened. Did I smell scared then?”

“I can’t remember, you were annoying me too much at the time.” Derek muttered.

“I bet I can guess what I did smell like. I wanted to kiss you so bad that day.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Stop looking so smug, it doesn’t suit you.” Stiles stuck his tongue out at Derek. “I bet you wanted to kiss me as well, right?”

“Not at the time, no.”

“Oh. Fine. Next question. When did you first want to kiss me?”

“I don’t know. I don’t keep track of the exact days I think and feel things.”

“That’s because you’re lame. Did you at least like me before the time I first kissed you?”

“Yes.”

“How long for?”

“Couple of months maybe.” Derek shrugged.

“Really? I kind of assumed you hadn’t even thought it about it until I threw myself at you like a sad case.”

“Well you assumed wrong.”

“Maybe I should have thrown myself at you sooner then.” Stiles laughed. “I genuinely didn’t think you were in to me until after then, you know. I’m not just being all low self-esteemy about it.”

“Do I have to ask you a question now?” Derek sighed. “Your game is getting boring.”

“You’re boring. I bet you just can’t think of anything to ask.”

“Maybe.”

“Fine. I’ll ask you something else.” Stiles replied. “How come you don’t turn into an actual wolf like your sister could? Or go all terrifying like Alpha-Peter?”

“Never been able to.” Derek answered. “Become a wolf, I mean. It happens sometimes; some of my family could, and some couldn’t. A few of my cousins were born human. That’s just the way it works.”

“So you can’t go all scary ass like Peter did either?”

“No.”

“Was that an alpha thing or a Peter thing?”

“Alpha thing, I think. I don’t ever remember him shifting like that before...before the fire.”

“So shouldn’t you be able to do it now you’re the alpha?” Stiles twisted sideways and threw his arm over Derek’s stomach, pressing his head against his chest.

“I was never meant to be an Alpha.” Derek mumbled, stroking the back of Stiles’ neck distractedly. “I never would have been if...you know.”

“Who was the alpha in your family?”

“We’re not playing truth or dare anymore, are we?” Derek asked. “You’re just making me talk about stuff now.”

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Stiles said reproachfully.

“I want to.” Derek replied, surprising himself when he realised he was telling truth. “My dad was the alpha.”

“So how does it work in families? I mean, I know you took over being alpha from Peter by...uh, yeah. How would it work normally?”

“I’m not all that sure. It never got explained to me. I just know my grandfather was our alpha, and then when he died, my dad was. I guess I was too young to be told at the time, or they already knew I’d make a piss poor alpha.”

“You’re not piss poor.” Stiles chided, pinching Derek’s side.

“Yeah? And where’s Peter?” Derek grouched. “Trust me, I’m not doing a great job.”

“I think you are, but I can’t be bothered arguing about this again.” Stiles sighed. “So would Laura have become an alpha if the fire...” He waved his hand about instead of finishing the sentence.

“Probably not. It most likely would have been Joseph, or maybe Peter I guess.”

“Who would you have wanted it to be?” Stiles asked cautiously, surprised that he’d managed to get Derek to talk about his family for this long.

“Joseph.” Derek answered immediately. “Even if I didn’t know what Peter would have been like as an alpha, I’d have preferred it to be Joseph that took over. But then maybe Peter wouldn’t have turned out the way he did if _she_ hadn’t done what she did.”

“Yeah?”

“He had a daughter, you know. Madeline. Her mom got killed by hunters when Maddie was a baby. She was in the house when...when it burned down. She was four, Stiles.” Derek shook his head sadly. “If she’d survived, I don’t know, maybe Peter would be different now. If he’s even still alive, that is.”

Stiles bit his lip and hugged Derek tightly, pressing kisses against his shoulder.

“I’m alright, Stiles.” Derek huffed, shifting slightly to try and loosen Stiles’ grip on his waist. “Honestly.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” He stretched his legs out in front of him, resting them on the coffee table. “It doesn’t feel as bad as it used to, talking about my family.”

“Good.” Stiles fidgeted around on the couch, only stopping when Derek glared at him. “Do you worry sometimes like you’ll forget about them?”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like that about my mom sometimes. That I’ll forget what she was really like, not just what she looked like, but stuff like the way she laughed and read books to me and kissed me on the head. And I wonder sometimes if I actually remember what she looked like or if I just think I do because of all the photos my dad has up. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah. I sometimes think I remember Joseph better than my mom and dad, but that might just be because I don’t have many photos of them, but there are still loads of Joseph.”

“How do you still have pictures of him?” Stiles asked.

“His Facebook page is still there.” Derek mumbled at last.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Derek frowned.

“I’ve got my laptop in my bag. You could show me.” Stiles suggested tentatively. Derek huffed but let go of Stiles so he could go and get his bag; he shuffled upright and rubbed his eyes, annoyed that the warm buzzy feeling from the weed had worn off.

“You sure you want to let me see?” Stiles asked cautiously when he saw the look on Derek’s face. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Derek said. “If they were...I’d have wanted them to meet you, that’s all. Next best thing, right?” He watched as Stiles started up the laptop, fiddling around with his phone when he couldn’t find any open WiFi networks.

“Here.” He held the laptop out to Derek, Facebook already open.

“Why are you using that photo as your profile picture?” Derek complained as he typed. “You said you were going to delete it.”

“Get over it. It’s a nice photo.”

“There.” Derek shuffled closer to Stiles so he could see the screen. “That’s Joseph.”He added unnecessarily, pointing him out in a group photo; he could have passed for Derek’s twin.

“He looks a lot like you.”

“He was my brother.” Derek shrugged.

“Can I look?” Stiles asked, reaching for his laptop. Derek shrugged and pushed it onto Stiles’ lap. He scrolled down the page, smiling sadly as he read the posts that Joseph’s friends were still leaving, messages about how much they still missed him, comments about birthdays, weddings and parties they were sad he couldn’t be part of.  “He went to Stanford, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“My mom went there. That’s where she met my dad.”

“There’s some photos on there of my family.” Derek said, watching Stiles nervously. “If you want to look at them.”

“Show me?” Stiles passed the laptop back to Derek, leaning against him as he looked for the pictures. “Do you think your parents would have been pissed with you dating me?”

“No. Why would they?”

“Because I’m human.”

“They didn’t hate humans.” Derek scowled. “Didn’t always trust humans outside of our family, maybe, but for good reason.”

“Yeah.” Stiles didn’t know what else to say and settled for chewing on the drawstring of his hoodie while Derek prodded gloomily at the laptop.

“Here.” Derek brusquely dumped the laptop back into Stiles’ lap. “That’s my family. Some of them anyway.”

“You look really young.” Stiles told him, peering closely at the screen. “And kind of sad. When’s this picture from anyway?”

“My mom’s birthday. About three months before the fire.”

“Oh. So you were already...” Stiles trailed off, biting his bottom lip. “Um. Kate?”

“Yes.” Derek hissed through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath, trying to force himself to relax. He glanced over at Stiles and frowned when he saw the look on his face. “You don’t need to look at me like that.” He snapped, reaching over and slamming the laptop shut.

“Dude! Werewolf strength!” Stiles cried, holding his laptop out of Derek’s reach. “And what do you mean look at you like that? How was I looking at you?”

“Like you pity me.”

“What?”

“I didn’t show you those pictures so you’d feel sorry for me.”

“I wasn’t feeling sorry for you or pitying you!” Stiles replied, looking annoyed. “I was feeling guilty.”

“Guilty? Why?”

“Seeing your sister in that picture, it made me think. I’m...I’m really sorry for what me and Scott did that day.”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t ‘it’s fine’ me.” Stiles frowned. “It’s not fine. It was a really fucked up thing for us to do and I hate that we did it.”

“Just drop it Stiles.” Derek muttered, staring straight ahead. “It’s in the past now. I know you didn’t do it to hurt me.”

“But it did hurt, didn’t it?” Stiles pressed. “God, I’m so sorry Derek.”

“Yes, it hurt. Of course it fucking hurt. You dug up my sister’s body.” Derek snapped, his voice unsteady. “I didn’t want to come back here, told Laura it was a bad idea but she came anyway. And then she stopped answering my calls and I knew something was seriously wrong. So I had to come back, even though it was just about the very last thing I wanted to do and then I found her like that. So yes, it did hurt when you and Scott dug her up.” He looked away from Stiles, not bothering to hide the tears rolling slowly down his cheeks.

“Do you want me to go?” Stiles asked quietly after several minutes of awkward silence.

“I don’t know.” Derek replied, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles moved closer and apprehensively reached for Derek’s hand. “I know it probably just sounds like words, but I really am so sorry.” He heard his voice cracking as he spoke, felt tears pricking at his eyes.

“I know.” Derek turned to him, pulling him roughly into a tense hug and grabbing handfuls of his t-shirt as he buried his face against his neck. Stiles reached up, rubbing Derek’s back cautiously as he felt him shaking slightly and realised that he was crying again. He held onto Derek until he seemed to calm down a bit, loosening his hold on him as Derek let go of his t-shirt and looked up at him. “Will you stay here tonight?”

“You know I can’t stay.” Stiles sighed sadly.

“You said your dad’s working all night.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t exactly a quiet neighbourhood. Knowing my luck, he’ll drive past himself and see my Jeep outside.”

“Fine. See you later then.” Derek muttered, untangling himself from Stiles and marching off across the room.

“Don’t be a dick, Derek.” Stiles replied, rolling his eyes. “Come back to mine.” He added suddenly.

“You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“So? You’d have to leave early anyway, my dad’s normally back around eight.” He got off the couch and crossed to where Derek stood, lounging against the windowsill. “Please come back with me. I don’t want to go home and leave you here alone.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. You asked me to stay ‘cause you know you’re not going to be fine.” Stiles countered. “So just shut up and come home with me.” Derek shot him a mutinous glare, which Stiles returned unflinchingly. Derek looked away after a few minutes, sighing dramatically before pushing himself away from the window ledge and at last agreeing to accompany Stiles home. Stiles smiled as Derek pulled on his boots and scowled up at him, waiting for him to gather up his laptop and bag before shoving him out of the apartment and towards the Jeep.

 


	46. Chapter 46

Stiles ended up yawning; and during one particularly boring point in English, power napping his way through the morning. He hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly four o clock, having sat up until two talking with Derek, and then spending another hour staring up at the ceiling as sleep alluded him, feeling vaguely annoyed with Derek when he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. His annoyance was short lived however, when Derek started whining in his sleep, seemingly having another nightmare. It had taken the best part of forty minutes for Derek to fall back asleep, his head buried against Stiles’ chest, and when Stiles did finally drop off it was only another two and a half hours before his alarm went off and he’d exhaustedly shooed Derek out of the house and promptly fallen asleep again. By the time his dad got back from work and woke him up, he was officially late for school and in a foul mood.

“I thought Harris was going to give you a detention the way you kept yawning in Chemistry.” Scott laughed as Stiles put his head down on his folded arms, trying to block out the sounds of the noisy cafeteria. “You said you were over the not sleeping thing.”

“I am.” Stiles yawned. “But Derek stayed over last night, so...”

“Yeah, you can stop right there.” Isaac muttered. “I don’t want to hear you talk about sex while I’m trying to eat my lunch.”

“Fuck off.” Stiles tried to kick him under the table, but hit Boyd instead. “It was just a long night, that’s all.”

“Dude, seriously. Stop talking about it.” Scott huffed, pushing Stiles playfully.

“Still not talking about sex, guys,” Stiles complained, his words muffled by his arms. “wake me up when you’ve decided to stop being a bunch of assholes.” He added, tuning out the conversation the others were having over his head.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Isaac snapped suddenly, glancing across the cafeteria to where Erica stood in line with the girl from her party. “Can’t you go and intercept her or something?” He looked over at Boyd, who shrugged. “I’m really not in the mood to talk to Tien right now.”

“Don’t worry. She won’t come over here.”

“How come?” Scott asked.

“We broke up last night. Or we’re taking a break or something. I’m not sure.” Boyd shrugged again.

“What happened?”

“She got pissed because I said I was thinking about applying to Columbia next year and she only wants to apply to schools in state.” Boyd frowned as he watched Erica pointedly take a seat on the other side of the cafeteria, sending angry glances in their direction.

“That sucks man.” Stiles told him, yawning massively and sitting upright. “We should totally have another boys’ night. Watch some crappy movies and pretend girls don’t exist.”

“Pretty sure they don’t exist to you anymore.” Boyd replied drily as he jabbed at his food with his fork.

“Hey! I still like girls!”

“I don’t need a boys’ night.” Scott supplied. “Things are going really good with Allison right now.”

“So? You can still come and watch crap movies with us.” Stiles grinned. “Being broken up with someone isn’t a prerequisite, thank god, or I wouldn’t be able to play!”

“You can’t invite Derek if we’re going to have guys’ night.” Scott complained, frowning at Stiles.

“Derek’s a boy.” Stiles grinned. “Very, very much a boy. Trust me on that.”

“Stop talking.”

“I’m just saying! He’s a boy, he can come to boys’ night.”

“No he can’t! If we’re going to be all supportive to Boyd you can’t bring your boyfriend along! That defeats the purpose.”

“I don’t need you to be supportive.” Boyd frowned. “I’m fine.”

“Shush! We’re still having crappy movie night!” Stiles cried, flapping his hands at Boyd to shush him.

“If you bring Derek, I’ll invite Allison.”

“Well that seriously defeats the purpose of boys’ night, Scott. I’m pretty confident that Allison isn’t a dude.”

“You two are pathetic.” Isaac interjected as he got to his feet. “Are we having a bad movie night or not?”

“Yes!” Stiles answered before Scott could say anything else. “Tomorrow night. My house.

“Right. Well I’m going to the library before Erica can ambush me with Tien. See you in Econ.”

“I’ll come with you.” Boyd told him, grabbing his back pack. “I’m heading that way.”  Stiles put his head back down on the table as Scott waved them goodbye.

“So what did Derek do to keep you up all night?” Scott asked reluctantly.

“I’m not talking about it in the cafeteria where wolf ears Reyes can hear me.” Stiles mumbled. “And I’m sure you’ve probably got pressing Allison issues you need to attend to, so just wake me up on your way to class.”

“Allison’s eating lunch with Lydia.” Scott told him as he tipped his chair back on to two legs. “We’ve decided we’re only going to eat lunch together twice a week, so we can see our friends.”

“Allison decided that, didn’t she? And you’re just going along with it like you good puppy you are.”

“Well, yeah. But hey, now we can hang out! I haven’t seen you in ages. You’re always too busy with Derek.”

“Now you know how I felt last year.”

“Come on. You can’t go to sleep in the cafeteria.” Scott let his chair fall back down onto all four legs and tugged at Stiles’ hood. “Get up.”

“So mean.” Stiles complained, struggling to his feet and grabbing his back pack. “I could have had a nice little nap and you ruined it.”

“So? Nap in Econ. Finstock won’t notice.” Scott grinned as they walked out of the room. Stiles tried to ignore the soppy blowing of kisses that Scott exchanged with Allison.

“You realise you look like a massive dork doing that, right?” He asked grumpily as they wandered out in to the crowded hall way.

“I don’t care!” Scott grinned, pushing throw the double doors and into the parking lot. “So come on, what were you and Derek doing all night?”

“Nothing.”

“Dude, I’m not your dad! You can tell me. I promise not to complain too much about Derek.”

“I’m not lying, jackass. We didn’t do anything, just slept.”

“Seriously? What’s the point of sneaking him into your house if you’re not going to do anything?”

“It doesn’t always have to be about sex.” Stiles mumbled, sitting down at one of the picnic benches. “Don’t you and Allison ever have nights were she just stays over? Where it’s just about sleeping in the same place as each other?”

“She’s not allowed to stay at my place, you know that.”

“So? Derek’s not allowed to stay at my house either but that doesn’t stop him. You really should be taking advantage of having a parent who works shifts!”

“I would, it’s her dad that’s the problem.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, um, have you and Derek actually had sex yet?”

“No. Like I said, me and Derek? It’s not just about sex.” Stiles glared over the table at Scott. “Why are you even asking? You keep telling me you don’t want to think about me and Derek doing it.”

“I don’t really. How come you still haven’t done it?”

“There’s just a lot of stuff going on.” Stiles replied, picking at the soft wood of the picnic bench. “And it’s not like we haven’t done anything together. I have it on good authority that I give very good blow jobs.”

“You know, I could have gone my whole life without knowing that.” Scott complained, screwing up his face in distaste.

“Yeah well I could have gone my whole life not knowing a lot of things about you and Allison.” Stiles retorted with a grin. “I’m repaying the favour.”

“Are you guys, like, waiting until you’re eighteen before you do it then?”

“I seriously hope not.” Stiles grumbled as the bell rang. “I might die if I have to wait that long.”

**. o o o .**

“You ok?”

Stiles looked up through bleary eyes to see his dad standing over him for the second time that day. Stiles nodded dumbly, pushing himself upright on the couch.

“What time is it?”

“Just after seven. You sure you’re alright, kid? You missed your appointment with Doctor Monkton today.”

“Crap. That was today?” Stiles groaned, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “I didn’t sleep so well last night. I just came straight home after school and crashed. Sorry.”

“It’s OK, just don’t go making a habit of it.”

“I won’t.”

“Fancy some dinner?”

Stiles nodded as he got off the couch and followed his dad into the kitchen.

“Hey dad, is it ok if Scott and Isaac and Boyd come over tomorrow night?” Stiles asked as he leant on the breakfast bar. “Only Boyd and Erica kind of broke up and we want to do the whole supportive, watching bad movies and eating crappy food thing.”

“I don’t see why not.” His dad replied as he poked around in the freezer. “But I’m working swing shift tomorrow, so don’t expect the house to yourself all night.”

“But they can come over right?”

“Yes. Now, do you want pepperoni or Hawaiian?” His dad asked, holding up two frozen pizzas.

“Don’t care. They both taste like cardboard.”

“Hawaiian it is for you then. Pineapple on a pizza just isn’t right.” 

“Fine.”

“You sure you’re OK?” His dad sounded concerned.

“I’m fine.”

“You haven’t argued with Derek have you?”

“What? No! Really dad, I’m just tired.” Stiles replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “Sorry I missed my appointment.”

“How’s it been going with Doctor Monkton?” His dad asked, screwing up the pizza boxes. “You’ve seemed a lot happier recently.”

“That’s not ‘cause of therapy you know.” Stiles replied with an embarrassed grin.

“Is that so? Let me guess, you’re going to tell me Derek’s the reason you’re happier?”

“It’s not just Derek.” Stiles bristled. “It’s everything. Things are going OK at school, me and Scott are getting on much better, Erica’s stop being bitchy about me and Derek.”

“What was Erica doing?”

“Umm, never mind. It was just stupid stuff.”

“Do you want to stop the sessions?”

“Uh, yes! I didn’t want to go back to therapy in the first place!” Stiles grinned, bounding round the breakfast bar and pulling his dad into a one armed hug. “Thanks dad.”

“How about you go to one more then, see what Doctor Monkton says about stopping?” His dad suggested, laughing as he patted Stiles on the back.

“Do I have to?”

“I’d be happier if you did.”

“Fine. But then I can stop, right? If Doctor Monkton agrees?” He grinned again, turning away from his dad to poke around in the refrigerator for a drink.

“Is that what I think it is on your neck?” His dad asked suddenly as Stiles opened a can of Dr Pepper.

“Umm...Would you believe me if I said it was a bruise from lacrosse?”

“Considering you’ve missed practice for the last two weeks, no, I wouldn’t.”

“It was worth a shot.” Stiles shrugged.

“Stiles, it looks tacky.”

“Blame Derek?” Stiles laughed uncomfortably, twitching his hood up to hide the hickey.

“Or you could tell him not to do it in the first place. Unless you want me to give him the ‘my son is still only 16’ talk?”

“Hickeys aren’t illegal.”

“They’re hardly g-rated either.” His dad countered, crossing to where Stiles stood so he could tug his hood to one side. “He might as well have written ‘property of Derek’ on you.”

“Dad! Seriously, it’s not a big deal, stop trying to make it one!” Stiles complained, twisting out of his dad’s reach and rubbing his neck.”I’ll tell him not to do it anymore. Just please stop talking about it!” _That or tell him to do it somewhere less obvious_ , he thought to himself.

“Make sure you do.” His dad turned his attention back to the oven, bending down to check on the pizzas. “Or he’ll be pissing on your leg before you know it.”

“Dad. He’s not a dog.” Stiles replied grouchily, trying not to laugh at his dad’s unintentionally appropriate dog joke.  He wondered if he should text Derek to tell him that he’d just been compared to a territorial dog, but decided he’d save the anecdote for when he could see Derek’s inevitable huffy, sulky face in person. He drained the last of his soda and started squashing the sides of the can inwards. “Hey dad?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks. You know, for being so cool about me dating Derek. I know you still don’t really like him.”

“I like him, what little I’ve seen of him. He definitely seems to be having a good influence on you. I can’t remember the last time I found you at a crime scene for a start.”

“Bet you never thought you’d be saying that Derek Hale is a good influence on anyone.” Stiles grinned.

“Probably not, no.” His dad admitted. “Although I’m sure that says something about your character as well if I have to consider _Derek_ a good influence.”

“Hey! I’m not that bad.” Stiles pouted.

“If you say so.” His dad laughed, ruffling his hair before turning back to the oven and retrieving their pizzas. “So will you be inviting your good influence to your boys’ night tomorrow?”

Stiles smiled smugly to himself; Scott could hardly argue about Derek coming to watch movies with them if his dad was telling him he should invite Derek along.

 

 


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get over it Scott.

“You invited Derek, didn’t you?” Scott demanded as Stiles let him and Isaac into the house.

“No!”

“Stiles! You weren’t supposed to invite him. Inviting your boyfriend ruins the whole point of boys night!”

“No it doesn’t! Derek’s a boy, Derek can come to boys night. Its not like we’re going to sit there and make out while you lot watch movies. Where’s Boyd? I thought he was coming with you?”

“He’s getting a ride with his dad in a bit. Anyway, stop changing the subject! You weren’t supposed to invite Derek!”

“Why? Derek like bad movies too!”

“So does Allison!” Scott replied angrily.

“We brought Scott’s Xbox.” Isaac interrupted, holding it up and frowning at Scott. “Are you two going to argue about Derek all night? Because if you are, I’m going to go and play Assassin’s Creed.”

“How’d you know I’d invited Derek anyway?” Stiles asked Scott as he trailed behind them into the den.

“Seriously?” Scott asked, glancing over his shoulder and looking Stiles up and down. “Look at you.”

“Look at me what?”

“You’re wearing clothes that fit. You never just hang out wearing clothes that fit you.

Stiles laughed loudly, amused by Scott’s detective skills and tugged at the bottom of his faded Atticus t-shirt, feeling a little self conscious about the tiny gap that appeared between it and the waistband of his jeans whenever he stretched his arms.

“It was the only clean t-shirt I had. You’re making it sound like I’ve got all dressed up for him.”

“You probably have.”

“Stop being a dick. I literally have no other clean clothes on account of me and my dad not having done any laundry these week. If you want, I can go put something dirty on and you can all sit around and pull faces about how I smell bad?”

“Is this really what you two argue about?” Isaac laughed from behind the TV. “Losers. So what if Derek’s coming over? He came that last time we had a boys’ night. When you told me to fuck off.” He added, looking directly at Stiles.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be telling _you_ to fuck off tonight.” Stiles replied, raising an eyebrow at Scott as the door bell rang, preventing Scott from arguing back.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” Scott muttered. “It’s Boyd, not Derek.” 

Stiles ignored Scott, walking through to the hall way to let Boyd into the house.

“You seriously need to stop bitching about Derek.” He told Scott as he led Boyd into the den. “I wasn’t going to invite him, but then my dad told me I should, so, yeah, deal.”

“Yeah right. Why would your dad tell you to invite Derek? He doesn’t like Derek!” Scott said grouchily, watching Isaac as he started up Assassin’s Creed.

“He totally does! He thinks he’s a good influence on me.” Stiles grinned smugly.

“You realise it doesn’t say a lot about you if your dad thinks Derek is a good influence?” Boyd asked as he sat down.

**. o o o .**

Scott had pouted and scowled a little when Derek arrived, and had look particularly irritated when Derek had wandered into the kitchen to help himself to a drink; apparently Scott thought this was something only he should be allowed to do. Once they’d settled down to watch a movie, Stiles had pointedly got off the couch and flopped down on the floor in front of the recliner Derek was sitting in. He’d shot Scott a smug smile before leaning back against Derek’s legs, one arm draped over his thigh.

“Ugh.” Scott tutted quietly, shuffling around on the couch until he didn’t have to look at Stiles and Derek. Stiles tilted his head back until he could see Derek’s face and grinned up at him, earning himself an eye roll before Derek pushed his head away.

“I don’t understand why we’re watching this.” Isaac yawned, gesturing to the TV. “It’s so...boring.”

“Right?” Boyd added. “There’s a guy in my calculus class that thinks these are the scariest movies he’s ever seen.”

“Maybe they are if your life doesn’t contain werewolves and kanimas.” Stiles laughed, tilting his head back slightly as Derek’s fingers found their way into his hair.  “Demons aren’t real, right?”

“No.”

“That’s a shame. I think I could probably fight a demon. Sam and Dean have taught me everything I need to know.”

“Sam and Dean?” Isaac asked, looking over at Stiles with a confused expression on his face. “Who are they?”

“You know, Winchester!” Stiles grinned.

“Huh?”

“Supernatural.” Derek muttered, tugging lightly on Stiles’ hair. “It’s a TV show.” He added when Isaac’s continued to stare blankly at him.

“Dork.” Isaac sneered, turning his attention back to the TV.

“Derek watches it too.” Stiles grumbled, receiving a slightly sharp tug on his hair in response. “That makes you a beta dork.”

“Stiles, shut up. I want to watch this!” Scott complained, gesturing to the screen.

“I’m, uh, going to get a soda.” Stiles announced, getting to his feet and glancing at Derek.”From the kitchen.” When no one replied, he wandered out of the den, pausing in the doorway and beckoning Derek, who gave a tiny nod and turned his attention back to TV.

Stiles hurried off to the kitchen and hopped up on to the edge of the counter, hoping that Derek wouldn’t keep him waiting too long.

“Thought you like bad movies.” Derek teased as he sauntered into the kitchen, quickly crossing to where Stiles sat. Stiles grinned, moving his legs further apart so Derek could stand between them.

“I do like terrible movies, but I like kissing you more. You’re very distracting, you know.” He leant forwards and kissing Derek passionately as he slid his arms around his neck to pull him closer. Stiles moaned happily as Derek slipped his tongue into his mouth. When they finally stopped for breath, Stiles lowered his head and slowly dragged his tongue up Derek’s throat. Derek obediently tipped his head back to let Stiles nip at the sensitive skin below his ear, a soft but dirty moan escaping from his lips. He felt Stiles smiling against his neck as he  suddenly stopped what he was doing, his mouth still close enough that he could feel his warm breath on his skin.

“God, I fucking love you.”  Stiles whispered, whimpering when Derek dug his fingers into his hips.

“Love you too.” Derek replied, twisting away from Stiles’ slightly and moving his hand to his chin, one finger forcing him to raise his head so Derek could kiss him.

Several minutes later. Derek pulled away and pressed his head against Stiles shoulder and gave a stifled snort of laughter.

“Umm, laughing when I’m kissing you? Not quite the confidence booster you might think.” Stiles complained, nudging Derek until he looked up.

“I’m not laughing at you.” He said, leaning close to Stiles so he could whisper in his ear. “I’m laughing at Isaac and Scott arguing about which one of them is going to come in the kitchen. Apparently Scott doesn’t want to see us kissing.”

“Scott McCall will just have to deal!” Stiles said loudly. “It’s my house, I’ll do what I want!” He pulled Derek back in, hooking his ankle behind Derek’s knee so he couldn’t move away again.

“You look good in that shirt.” Derek told him quietly, idly running his thumb across Stiles’ hipbone.

“I’ve had it since I was 14.” Stiles admitted, leaning away from Derek so he could look down at the shirt. “That’s why it doesn’t fit properly.”

“It fits better than the rest of your clothes.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so. You look good.”

“I really don’t. Can you please stop talking and kiss me again?”

“You think you don’t lot good.” Derek stated simply, sliding his hands up the back of Stiles’ t-shirt.

“Maybe.”

“Well you’re wrong.”

“Literally only in your opinion.” Stiles leant forward and gave Derek a gentle peck on the cheek.

“Are you bothered about anyone else’s right now?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. Stiles shook his head enthusiastically, only stopping when Derek reached up and rested his hands on either side of his face, fingers sliding up into his hair again as he pulled him in for a kiss.

Stiles was faintly aware of the sound of a door opening somewhere in the house, but chose to ignore it in favour of wedging his hand down the back of Derek’s jeans.

“Stiles. Derek.”

Derek leapt away from Stiles as though he’d received an electric shock and leant awkwardly against the counter next to the refrigerator, a pale pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Uhh, hi dad.” Stiles grinned, trying to avoid looking at Derek; the panicky embarrassed look on his face was far too amusing.

“Sheriff...uh...John.” Derek mumbled.

“Off the counter, Stiles.” His dad instructed, crossing to the fridge and shooing Derek out of his way.

“Absolutely!”

“What happened to movie night?”

“Oh we’re still watching movies.”

“Really? We got a TV in here now, have we?”

“I was getting sodas for everyone. Derek was helping.”

“Is that so? How about you get your sodas then and go back into the other room?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” Stiles yelped, grabbing cans from the refrigerator and handing three of them to Derek while grabbing for his free hand. “Come on.”

Stiles scuttled back into the den, followed a few seconds later by an embarrassed Derek.

“So, uh, does your dad still think Derek’s a good influence?” Scott teased as they sat back down, his eyes never leaving the screen. Stiles whipped a can at his head as Boyd and Isaac laughed, feeling even more annoyed when Scott caught it before it could make contact.  Derek sat back down heavily in the recliner and growled quietly, letting his eyes flash red as a warning to the others.

“You know, you’d probably be more intimidating as an alpha if my dad hadn’t just been able to catch us making out.” Stiles laughed, patting Derek on the shoulder before flopping back down on the couch next to Scott.

“Shut up, Stiles.” Derek muttered.


	48. Chapter 48

“All the music you listen to came out when I was in junior high.” Derek complained, scrolling through Stiles’ Spotify playlist. “Why don’t you listen to anything new?”

“I do.” Stiles mumbled around his pen as he idly gestured towards the posters on his bedroom walls. “Give it back if you’re just going to bitch and moan.”

“I’m not bitching. I’m making an observation.”

“Know what I’m observing?” Stiles asked, sitting upright and smiling at Derek. “That here we are in my bedroom and yet you’re still sat at my desk when you should be on my bed with me. I’m observing a distinct lack of kissing.”

“That’s because your dad’s downstairs.” Derek replied, not looking up from the laptop. “Which also why your bedroom door is wide open.”

“He has to leave for work sometime.” Stiles grinned, shuffling around until he could poke Derek with his toe. “And then you can stop pretending you’re so interested in what music I listen to.”

“I’m not ‘so interested’, I just think it’s weird you listen to music that came out when you were six.”

“I listen to music that came out before I was born.” Stiles shrugged. “I’m not really sure what point you’re trying to make. How do I say I watched a movie?”

“Vi una película.” Derek told him. “Stop asking me to translate for you; you’re never going to learn if you keep asking me for all the answers.”

“Well I can’t exactly use Google, can I? There’s some obnoxious werewolf hogging my laptop.”

Derek ignored him, putting on some weird song that Stiles had never heard before and leant back in his chair, shooting him a smug grin.

“Your dad’s coming up the stairs.”

“Good for him. Hey, what’s werewolf in Spanish?”

“Why? What are you writing?” Derek asked suspiciously.

Before Stiles could reply, his dad knocked on his open bedroom door and stepped into the room.

“I’m leaving for work in a minute.” He said, glancing from Stiles to Derek. “How are you getting on with your Spanish?”

“Great. Nearly finished.” Stiles waved his composition book around in the air as proof.

“Only it sounded like you were getting Derek to do it for you.”

“Helping, not doing for me. You know, if you’d let me take French this year we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“I keep telling you, Spanish will be more useful.”

“Not if I move to France. Or Quebec. Or...um.”

“Can’t think of anywhere else that speaks French?” Derek asked quietly.

“Oh like you know of anywhere else.” Stiles bit back.

“Haiti? Luxembourg? Senegal?” Derek replied smugly.

“Derek, no one likes a smart ass.”

“Ahem.” His dad coughed, rolling his eyes. “I’m leaving for the station now. I’m assuming you’ll be leaving soon, Derek? It’s nearly 9pm.”

“Um, yes?”

“Good.” With that, John walked from the room, leaving the door pointedly ajar. Stiles glared over at Derek.

“Why are you leaving?” He hissed.

“Because we’ve got conditions we’re meant to stick to.” Derek replied, slightly louder than was strictly necessary. He got to his feet and crossed to the bed and leant down, his mouth close to Stiles’ ear. “Give me 20 minutes, yeah?”

Stiles gave a little ‘oh!’ of understanding and grabbed hold of Derek’s shoulders, pulling him close so he could plant a quick kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He added, angling his head towards the open door.

“Very believable.” Derek whispered, playfully pushing Stiles away and sauntering from the bedroom. Stiles grinned to himself and scrambled off the bed, taking up Derek’s recently vacated seat in front of his laptop, figuring he deserved a break from his homework.

**. o o o .**

“You can’t sing.”

Stiles made a feeble yelping sound, but just managed to stop himself from falling off his chair; he swivelled around to saw Derek lounging against the door frame.

“I hate you. Please tell me you haven’t been standing there listening to me for long?”

“Long enough.” Derek smiled, padding into Stiles’ room and sitting down on his bed. “And yes, before you ask, long enough to see you writing my name all over that piece of paper you’ve hidden in your text book.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a massive creep?” Stiles asked grumpily, spinning his chair around and aiming a kick at Derek’s shins.

“You tell me that all the time.”

“Well it’s true.” Stiles grinned, getting up from his chair and pushing at Derek’s chest until he took the hint and lay back against the pillows. He crawled up the bed and put his hands on either side of Derek’s head before leaning down and kissing him. “You’re my massive creep though.” He grinned, swinging one leg over Derek’s waist so he could straddle him.

“Want me to stop sneaking in?” Derek murmured, running his hands up Stiles’ thighs.

“Uh, let me think about that for a minute; no! Just maybe stop with the lurking in the shadows like a creepy predator. Makes you look a bit Edward Cullen.”

Derek growled softly at him, digging his fingers into Stiles’ side. “I do not look like Edward Cullen.”

“I never said you looked like him; you’re much prettier than Edward Cullen for a start.” He squirmed as Derek’s fingers brushed over a ticklish spot just above his hip. “I just said you were behaving like him! Stop tickling me, asshole!”

“Don’t call me pretty.”

“Stop being unreasonably attractive then!” Stiles laughed, leaning down to kiss him, hands flat against Derek’s chest. Derek huffed against his lips before grudgingly returning the kiss as he slipped his arms around Stiles’ back. They kissed lazily for a long time, until Stiles started to grow bored, shuffling around so he could grind his ass against Derek’s crotch. He pulled away from Derek and sat upright, rolling his hips again and smiling unreservedly when Derek groaned, lifting his hips off the bed slightly to press against Stiles.

“Tease.” Derek mumbled when Stiles moved to lie down beside him, rolling onto his side so he could look at Derek.

“ You know what I love?”

“Me?”

“Well, yeah, obviously.” Stiles laughed giddily, amused by Derek’s response, which sounded more like something he’d say than anything he’d expect to hear from Derek. “But that’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say I love when my dad works Friday nights; it’s always super busy and he probably won’t be home until tomorrow afternoon.”

“You love that your dad is overworked?”

“Now you’re just being deliberately obtuse. I was dropping an oh so subtle hint that your stupid ass should stay over tonight.”

“Thought you were never going to ask.” Derek smiled, resting his hand on Stiles’ neck and rubbing his cheekbone with the side of his thumb. Stiles returned the smile, shuffling closer to Derek and watching him with interest. After a few minutes, Derek started feeling self conscious and looked down. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I like your eyes.” Stiles shrugged, leaning closer so he could press a playful kiss on the tip of Derek’s nose. He reached up and delicately ran his finger along Derek’s eyelashes. “Open your eyes, grumpy butt. I want to look at them.”

Derek sighed but obliged anyway, looking up at Stiles and letting a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

“You know your eyes don’t even make sense, right?” Stiles asked. “How are they three different colours at once?”

“You know you ask the stupidest questions I’ve ever heard?” Derek huffed. “Why are your eyes the colour they are?”

“Genetics.” Stiles replied, sticking his tongue out at Derek.

“No one likes a smart ass Stiles.”

“Derek, no one likes a smug werewolf parroting things back at them.” Stiles teased, pressing a playful kiss on Derek’s cheek. Derek made a half hearted growling noise and pulled Stiles into a crushing hug. Within seconds they were reduced to a tangle of arms and legs, kissing and groping at each urgently. Stiles rolled onto his back, dragging Derek with him, enjoying the heavy press of Derek’s body on his as he lay half on top of him, slipping his hands under his t-shirt.

“Jeans are stupid.” Stiles gasped as he felt Derek’s teeth against his neck. He heard Derek’s small huff of laughter and reached down to fumble with the button of his flies. “Seriously, these are going to do me some kind of injury in a minute. And for the record, partially blaming you for that.”

“Want me to stop?” Derek asked, tracing the line of Stiles’ throat with his tongue.

“Fuck no. I just want to not be wearing these anymore.” He finally managed to pop the button of his jeans and struggled out of them, nearly elbowing Derek in the face as he pushed them off his hips and grinned apologetically. “Just as well you’ve got the whole rapid healing trick.”

Derek glanced up at him and smiled before turning his attention back to Stiles’ neck; he ran one hand down Stiles’ side, ghosting his fingers across his tenting underwear.

“Good job I’m not having the same effect on you.” Stiles breathed, wincing at Derek’s stubble scratched his neck. “Your jeans always look like they’re about to do you an injury.”

“Who said you aren’t?” Derek mumbled, pressing up against Stiles to prove it.

“So take off your stupid jeans then!” Stiles demanded, reaching for Derek’s fly. “I’m getting sympathy pains just looking at you!”

Derek huffed and grumbled but let Stiles undo the button of his flies anyway before rolling off the bed and peeling off his jeans. Stiles kicked his way under the comforter and grinned happily as Derek slid back into bed beside him, dropping his head onto Stiles’ shoulder and wrapping his arm around his stomach. Stiles buried his face in Derek’s hair and smiled stupidly to himself, letting his mind wander as he thought about how happy he was feeling. He was shaken out of his peaceful little daydream by Derek’s hand slipping under the waistband of his boxers and gave a small grunt of surprise when Derek began to slowly stroke his cock.

“Thought my SpongeBob boxers made you uncomfortable.” Stiles teased breathily as he pulled gently on Derek’s hair. Derek gave a snort of laughter but otherwise failed to acknowledge Stiles’ comment. Stiles groaned softly and twisted in towards Derek, his hips rising involuntarily off the bed as Derek began to move his hand faster.

“You’re going to make me come.” Stiles mumbled, lowering his head and pressing his forehead against Derek’s.

“That’s the point.” Derek replied, giving Stiles a small smile as he looked up to meet his gaze.

“The point is to make me come all over my shirt and boxers?” Stiles asked between moans. Derek rolled his eyes and pulled his hand out of Stiles’ boxers and reached for the hem of his t-shirt, tugging at it until Stiles’ sat up and let him pull it up and over his head.

“Happy now?”

“No. Take your shirt off.” Stiles demanded, pulling at the neck of Derek’s henley for emphasis; Derek gave a little huff of laughter and stripped off his shirt, throwing it onto Stiles’ desk chair before lying back down.

“I thought you’d be uncomfortable being naked around me.” Derek commented, rolling onto his side and watching affectionately as Stiles wriggled his way out of his SpongeBob boxer shorts.

“Why? Because I’m all skinny and pale and weird looking?” Stiles’ voice was muffled slightly by the comforter as he ducked his head below it, trying to untangle his ankle from the leg of his underwear. “Just because you’re all perfect looking, clothed or otherwise doesn’t mean I’m going to refuse to get undressed around you.”

“Not what I meant.” Derek replied, rolling his eyes. “I meant because you’re generally wearing three shirts at a time and even then they don’t fit you properly.”

“That’s more an ‘I’m always kind of cold’ thing than a ‘blergh, I’m gross looking’ thing.” Stiles grinned when he popped back out from under the comforter. “The layers I mean. I guess the benefits of being in a serious state of undress around you outweigh the embarrassment of being, well, me.”

Derek made an irritated sound in the back of his throat and moved close to Stiles, nudging at his arm until he slid it beneath his neck and around his shoulders. “Nothing to be embarrassed about,” He mumbled against Stiles’ chest. “You’re, um, I think you’re gorgeous.”

“Well clearly your brain is broken.” Stiles laughed awkwardly, his cheeks flushing. “Can we go back to the kissing and groping? I am actually starting to feel uncomfortable now!”

Derek nodded, lifting his head so he could kiss Stiles. At some point over the next twenty minutes, he ended up nude as well; he was a little unsure of when exactly it had happened but assumed it was around the same time Stiles was sucking hickeys along his collarbone, murmuring between hot kisses and bites about how ‘naked Derek is the best kind of Derek’ and reaching down to push impatiently at the waistband of his underwear. Not that Derek was complaining about that now, as Stiles curled his fingers loosely around his cock and began moving his hand frustratingly slowly. Derek moaned into Stiles’ mouth, arching his back and jerking Stiles’ cock harder and faster in a bid to get him to do the same.

Stiles pulled away from the kiss and shot Derek a wicked grin, slowing his movement down further. Derek scowled at him and abruptly let go of his dick, smirking when Stiles whimpered at the sudden loss of contact.

“God, you’re so mean to me.” Stiles complained, pressing up against Derek so his cock rubbed against his hip. 

“You started it.” Derek reminded him, his lips brushing teasingly against Stiles’. He put his hand on Stiles’ hip and pushed him away slightly.

“I could stop too, you know.”

“Yeah, but you’re not going to.”

“Probably not, no.” Stiles huffed, his hand still moving slowly. “Can I give you a blow job now? I prefer doing that to this.”

“You’re asking for permission to suck my dick?” Derek raised an eyebrow and propped himself up on his elbow to smirk at Stiles.

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of politeness, grumpyface.” Stiles laughed, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss against the corner of Derek’s mouth. “So can I?”

“If you want to.” Derek replied, reaching over and running a hand through Stiles’ hair. “Or we could do something else instead.”

“Something else? Please, be more vague! Are you threatening to make me play a board game or something?”

“You’re being stupid.”

“I know, it’s adorable, isn’t it? Go on, what was your something else you wanted to do?”

“Sex.” Derek mumbled, resting his forehead against Stiles’ neck. He heard Stiles’ heart beat speed up and kept his face hidden against the side of his neck.

“Sex.” Stiles repeated dumbly, continuing his annoying slow strokes of Derek’s cock. “Like, actual sex?”

“As opposed to what other kind?”

“Umm...I don’t know, oral?”

“Yes Stiles, ‘actual’ sex.” Derek replied, feeling himself blush.

“Really?” Stiles asked, stopping in his tracks, his hand stilling on Derek’s cock as his eyes went wide. “You really want to?”

“Yeah, I want to.” Derek nodded.

“OK, wow. Um, I’ve got, you know, stuff.” Stiles told him, blushing deeply. “Should I...” He rolled over and gestured towards his bedside table.

“Leave it for now.” Derek said in a low voice and pulling Stiles into a hug. “Just kiss me.” Stiles smiled and pressed a gentle kiss against Derek’s jaw before moving down to kiss and lick his collarbone. Derek moaned, biting his bottom lip and arching his hips against Stiles. After a few minutes, he begrudgingly released Stiles, letting him roll over and root around in his bedside table for the bottle of lube. He shuffled down the bed until he could rest his head on Derek’s stomach and popped the cap off the lube, slicking his fingers. He let his hand stray between Derek’s thighs after giving his dick a cursory tug; although they’d already progressed to Stiles burying two fingers in Derek’s ass while he blew him the week before, this felt different and he was aware that his hand was shaking slightly as he pressed his thumb against Derek’s entrance.

“You can, uh, change your mind if you want to.” Stiles mumbled against Derek’s stomach, rubbing his thumb around in small circles before he slowly pushed one finger inside of him.

“So can you.” Derek replied quietly, running his hand through Stiles’ hair. Stiles laughed shortly, curling his finger up in the way he had so recently learnt would make Derek moan loudly, and on one occasion the week before, make him swear filthily when he came, an outrageously shocked look on his face. He glanced up at Derek, whose head was tipped back against the pillows, eyes tightly shut and grinned wickedly, sitting up slightly so he could slowly drag his tongue up the underside of Derek’s cock as he worked another finger inside him. Derek inhaled sharply and pulled hard on Stiles’ hair.

“Sorry?” Stiles mumbled, lifting his head to look at Derek.

“Don’t stop.” Derek complained, arching his hips towards Stiles. “It felt good.”

Stiles gave him a soft smile before leaning back down and licking up the side of his cock again, shivering slightly when Derek made a high pitched whining sound. Leaning over, he grabbed awkwardly for the bottle of lube and reluctantly withdrew his fingers for a moment. Derek lifted his head suddenly to glare at Stiles, who waved the little plastic bottle at him before squeezing a few more drops onto his fingers; he shuffled around until he was kneeling between Derek’s legs and slid his first two fingers back into Derek, curling them upwards and grinning when Derek arched his back up off the bed.

“You OK?” He asked as he pushed in with a third finger, wrapping his free hand around Derek’s cock and stroking him while he waited for a response. Derek nodded briefly before covering his face with his arm as a filthy moan escaped his lips. Stiles grinned appreciatively and sat back on his heels so he could watch his fingers sliding in and out of Derek.

“So how are we going to do this?” Stiles asked conversationally. Derek lifted his arm off his face and raised an eyebrow at him. “You know, position wise. Because I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to manage anything that involves me holding your heavy-ass self up.” He cocked his head to one side and let his fingers curl upwards again. “Want to kneel up? You know, do...”

“You’re seriously going to make a dog joke now?” Derek grunted. “And no. I want to be able to see you.”

“So, um, how...”

“Sit up.” Derek instructed, wincing slightly as Stiles pulled his fingers out. Stiles sat up and shuffled around until he was leaning back against the headboard. He watched Derek with wide eyes, cocking an eyebrow when he sat astride his legs and reached for the lube. He squirted a healthy amount onto his hand and reached for Stiles’ cock, rolling his eyes when Stiles whined about how cold the lube was. Apparently satisfied, Derek knelt up and shuffled forwards. Stiles had the sense to wrap his hand around the base of his cock, holding it steady while Derek cautiously lowered himself. He bit his lower lip hard as he felt Derek opening up around him and fought back the urge to push in greedily, letting Derek set the pace.

 “You OK?” Stiles asked, watching as Derek went still, his eyes closed.

“Give me a minute.” Derek replied quietly. “You feel bigger like this.”

Stiles started to laugh but stopped abruptly when he felt Derek’s muscles contract around him.

“Now might not be the best time to ask,” Stiles started, digging his fingers into the tops of Derek’s thighs. “But we don’t need a condom, right? I mean I know I haven’t got anything and I’m seriously hoping you don’t, considering.”

“No, we don’t. Unless you want to use one.”

“Bit late now.” Stiles laughed, trying to lift his hips beneath Derek’s weight; he managed to get half an inch or so off the bed, causing Derek to inhale sharply and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“I’m...Jesus...I’m really sorry in advance if this doesn’t last long.” Stiles gasped as Derek started to rock his hips against Stiles’.

“You think I’m going to last?” Derek muttered, a small frown crossing his face.

“You’ll probably last longer than me.” Stiles complained. He reached down between them and wrapped one hand around Derek’s dick, trying to get his strokes to match Derek’s rhythm. “And just so you know, you look even more stupidly attractive than usual right now.”

Derek leant forward and silenced him with a kiss, or at least tried to. Stiles felt like his brain had short circuited and he was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the feeling of his cock buried inside Derek. It was only when Derek bit down on his lower lip that he finally returned the kiss, scratching his fingernails over Derek’s shoulders as he licked into his mouth. Within an embarrassingly short period of time, he could feel the hot, tingly sensation of his orgasm starting to pool just below his stomach, and tried to pull away from Derek’s kiss to warn him; Derek had buried his hands in his hair however and was holding his head in place, preventing him from moving. Stiles came hard, arching his hips up and moaning into Derek’s mouth as he squeezed his eyes tight shut and saw stars.

Derek apparently took that as a cue to untangle his hands from Stiles’ hair; leaving Stiles to flop back against the headboard and bang his head. He opened his eyes when he felt Derek cover his hand with his own, forcing him to grip his cock tighter, their hands moving faster and faster. As he watched, Derek’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open with a silent groan as he came across Stiles’ stomach and chest before slumping forward to rest his forehead on Stiles’ shoulder, his breath hot against his skin.

“Sex is freaking awesome.” Stiles laughed, tracing Derek’s spine with his fingertips and making him shiver. Derek bit him on the shoulder in retaliation, just hard enough to leave a mark, before lifting himself off Stiles and pulling a face as Stiles’ rapidly softening cock slipped out of him. Stiles reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a box of tissues, pulling out a generous handful before offering them to Derek, who shook his head.

“I’d rather use the shower.” Derek informed him, screwing his nose up as he watched Stiles wipe the come from his chest and stomach with the tissues.

“Help yourself. There should be clean towels in the bathroom.” He made a sad little noise of disappointment as Derek pulled his boxers back on and stalked from the room. Snuggling back down under the comforter, he listened to Derek’s footsteps padding down the landing followed a couple of minutes later by the sound of the shower squeaking to life. Stiles rolled onto his front and folded his arms under the pillow, letting the barely audible sound of the shower running lull him to sleep. The next thing he knew was Derek’s hand flat between his shoulder blades, damp hair brushing against his cheek as he pressed a kiss against the back of his neck.

“Move over, you’re taking up three quarters of the bed.”

“’s my bed.” Stiles told him, his voice thick with sleep, but rolled over anyway, dragging the comforter with him.

“You asked me to stay, remember?”

“So stop talking at me and lie down.” Stiles yawned, patting clumsily at the empty space next to him. Derek did as he was told, sliding one arm underneath Stiles’ neck and pulling him close.

“You know,” Stiles mumbled sleepily, curling into Derek’s embrace. “I was convinced you were waiting for some meaningful date to do that. Like my birthday or something, not some random Friday before Thanksgiving.”

“Don’t pretend you’re not going to commit the date to memory and insist on celebrating it as some kind of anniversary.” Derek yawned, his fingers twisted into Stiles’ hair.

“Sexversary.” Stiles grinned stupidly, rubbing his face against Derek’s shoulder.

“Do you actually hear the things that come out of your mouth?”

“I try not to pay too much attention to them. What’s your point?”

“Not really sure.” Derek yawned again, covering his mouth with his free hand. “What time do I have to be out in the morning?”

“Don’t know. He won’t be back until eight at the earliest, so before then, I guess. Can we not talk about you having to leave?” He groused, reaching across and flicking Derek’s nipple. “It’s depressing and it’s not going to be an issue for another seven hours, give or take.”

“I think I’ve got a good idea what you _do_ want to talk about.”

“The awesome sex.” Stiles nodded. “Which was awesome. I very definitely like sex; sex with you, anyway. It was awesome for you too, right?”

“Stop saying awesome, it makes you sound like you’re thirteen.” Derek admonished as he stifled another yawn.

“Shut up and answer the question! Was it OK for you? Didn’t freak you out too much or anything?”

“It was good. I liked it, being with you.” Derek mumbled.

“Awesome. So can we do it again? Seven hours to kill, remember?”

“Go to sleep Stiles.”

“Yes sir.” Stiles laughed, giving Derek an awkward mock salute before lifting his head off Derek’s shoulder so he could give him a light peck on the lips before settling back down against Derek’s chest; the soft moans he made as Derek dragged his fingers through his hair slowly stopping as he fell asleep a few minutes later. Derek watched him as he slept, realising that he hadn’t been lying; he’d expected to find it too difficult to go through with having sex with Stiles and had been pleasantly surprised to find that it didn’t freak him out, as Stiles had put it, that it only felt right and that for the first time in six years, the concept of having sex with someone, being that intimate didn’t make him want to be sick. He wrapped both arms around Stiles and pulled him in to a tight hug, burying his face in his hair and breathing in his comforting scent.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write sex scenes. Meh! I hope people don't find this a terrible fail?


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn you, season 3 spoilers and Derek's fancy pants loft! That doesn't fit with my headcanon at all! >:|

“Make your phone stop doing that.” Stiles complained into his pillow as the alarm on Derek’s phone rang shrilly.

“You told me to set an alarm.”

“Yeah, but I’m full of terrible ideas. Just make it stop.” He pulled feebly at Derek’s arm, trying to get him to lie back down.

“Stop that.” Derek swatted his arm away. “The whole reason for setting the alarm was so I can be gone before your dad gets home.”

“He probably won’t be home until lunch time.” Stiles replied, yawning and rubbing sleep from his eyes. “It was just in case. Come on, you’re letting the bed get cold.” He scrabbled on the bedside table for his own cell phone, smiling smugly at Derek when he read a text message. “See, right here. Message from my dad; he’s tied up at the station until the afternoon at least.”

“Or he knew you were going to sneak me in and he’s about to burst in here and arrest me.” Derek complained as he lay back down.

“Paranoid much?”

“Can’t help it.” Derek muttered, turning on his side and rubbing his forehead against Stiles’ arm.

“I know.” Stiles leant over and kissed him on the top of the head. Derek made a little grumble of complaint and moved back to his side of the bed so he could look at Stiles.

“You want to come over later?” He asked, trailing his fingertips down Stiles’ arm before twisting their fingers together.

“Can’t.” Stiles replied sadly. “I already made plans to hang out with Scott. That’s OK, right?”

“Are you asking for permission to hang out with Scott?” Derek snorted, rolling onto his back. “It’s not up to me what you do.”

“Thought it might bother you, me and Scott hanging out.”

“You mean you think I’m going to get jealous about you spending time with your friends.”

“No, not exactly.”

“Very convincing. It’s not up to me what you do with your free time. You should hang out with your friends more.”

“Prefer spending it with you.” Stiles replied, sliding one hand across Derek’s stomach.

“How much time did you spend complaining about Scott being with Allison instead of you?” Derek asked, covering Stiles’ hand with his own.

“That was different.”

“How much?”

“Maybe 98 hours, give or take. I mean, if you added it all up.” Stiles muttered, frowning when Derek laughed at him.

“So don’t do the same to him.”

“Fine. Can I come over tomorrow though?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

“See, you keep saying that, but I bet you’d be pissed if I just kept turning up all the time.”

“What do you mean, all the time? You’re always at my place anyway.” Derek yawned and stretched before slipping one arm underneath Stiles’ neck and pulling him closer. “I like when you’re there, you know? I like that all my stuff smells like you.”

“You make it sound like I come over and rub my face on everything.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if you do.” Derek teased. “In fact, it seems like exactly the sort of thing you’d do.”

“You make me sound like a cat.” Stiles complained, rubbing his face against Derek’s bare chest in a bid to annoy him.

“Stop doing that then.”

“Nah, I want you to smell like me!”

“I already smell like you.” Derek pointed out. “From last night.”

“Awesome.” He rubbed his face against Derek’s chest once more before going still. “Hey, you know I love you, right?”

“Yes. You tell me all the time.”

“I just realised I never said it last night after, you know, the sex.” Stiles lifted his head slightly so he could look at Derek. “And it was kind of a big deal for me, doing that with you. I think I might love you even more now.”

Derek smiled at him and pulled him into a tight hug. “It was a big deal for me too.”

“I know. Kind of put a lot of pressure on me knowing that. I was terrified I was going to, I don’t know, do it wrong or something.”

“Do it wrong?” Derek snorted.

“Don’t laugh at me. I’m allowed to be nervous about sex stuff. I was little Mr Virgin until about twelve hours ago!  Oh man, I should te...”

“If the next words out of your mouth are ‘text Scott’ I’ll break up with you.” Derek growled.

“The people need to know!” Stiles laughed, trying to pull out of Derek’s grip so he could get to his phone. “Scott needs to be aware of this information! You can’t silence me!”

“Yes I can.” Derek kissed him roughly, rolling over so Stiles was pinned to the bed by the weight of his body. Stiles made a muffled choking sound as Derek’s tongue snaked into his mouth, stopping him from talking. He promptly forgot all about texting Scott with his exciting news, and wrapped his arms around Derek’s shoulders, digging his fingernails into his back as Derek’s mouth moved from his lips to his jaw, teeth dragging over the sensitive skin.

“You definitely set on me not texting Scott?” Stiles asked, trying to squirm away from where Derek’s stubble scratched across his skin.

“Very.”

“Only your distraction techniques aren’t really cutting it.” Stiles told him and bit his lip to stop himself from moaning as Derek grazed his collarbone with his teeth. “I can already feel my mind wandering.”

“No you can’t.”

“Pretty sure I can.” Stiles retorted, running a hand through Derek’s hair. “I think I can just about reach my phone...”

Derek growled in his ear and bit down hard where Stiles’ neck met his shoulder.

“Ow, fuck, that’s a hell of a lot hotter than it should be.” Stiles moaned as Derek licked over the sore spot on his shoulder. “Remind me again what I was trying to do?”

“Stop saying words.” Derek mumbled, reaching over and grabbing Stiles’ phone from the bedside table before tossing it none too gently across the room. He rolled back over, pulling Stiles on top of him and kissed him again, all the roughness and urgency from before dissipating. Stiles parted his lips and let Derek slowly lick his way into his mouth, sliding his hands up his sides and resting them on either side of Derek’s face as he returned his kiss lazily.

“Love you.” Stiles sighed when Derek finally broke away.”Seriously, I love you so much right now, it’s stupid. It’s kind of hurting my chest with how much I love you.” To his surprise, Derek smiled at him; not his usual half smile or a smirk, but a full on, I’m-actually-happy smile that reached his eyes and everything. Stiles bit his lip, resisting the urge to comment on how unusual it was to see him smiling like that. “So I can say those words, huh?” He asked at last.

“Yes.” Derek pressed a chaste kiss against his lips and smiled again.  “I love you too.”

“Fucking awesome!” Stiles grinned, punching the air with his fist. Derek groaned and buried his head against the pillow, his cheek brushing against Stiles’.

“I’m dating a child.”

“I gave you fair warning about the excessive use of awesome.” Stiles reminded him, trailing his fingers up and down Derek’s back. “You chose to continue to pursue this.”

“I should go.” Derek mumbled, pushing himself away from Stiles, a glum expression on his face.

“Because I keep saying awesome?”

“No.”

“You really shouldn’t. We could just stay in bed the rest of the day.”

“Your dad is due home in two hours and you’re meant to be hanging out with Scott.” Derek reminded him, getting out of bed and pulling on his t-shirt.  

“Stop spoiling my fun.”

Derek ignored him, turning around to put on his jeans before crossing to the window.

“No climbing out the window.” Stiles admonished as he hopped out of bed and pulled on a pair of pyjama pants. “You can use the front door like a real person.”

“What if one of your neighbours see me leave? They might tell your dad.”

“It’s ten in the morning. It’s not like you’re doing some 4am walk of shame. It’s entirely reasonable for you to be here at ten in the morning.” He frowned at Derek as he took another step towards the window. “No! Shoo!”

“Don’t shoo me.”

“Stop acting like I can’t see what you’re doing then. If you climb out the window, I’ll impose a week long blow job ban.”

“No you won’t.”

“Want a bet?” Stiles pulled his bedroom door open and looked pointedly from Derek to the hallway beyond. Derek gave a huge, over the top sigh but stepped away from the window and followed Stiles down the stairs.”Aww, look at you. Using the stairs and leaving the house the way people are supposed to.” Stiles teased, catching hold of the back pocket of Derek’s jeans and pulling him round for a quick kiss.

“Shut up.”

“Did you do it because you don’t like blow job bans?” Stiles goaded, stepping forward and rolling his hips against Derek’s.

“No one likes blow job bans, you especially.” Derek reminded him, taking a step back.

“True, very true. So I can come over tomorrow, right? And take advantage of the lack of ban?”

“If you have to.”

“Don’t do sad face, I’m offering to suck your dick. Stupid wolf.” He laughed happily when Derek growled softly at him and leant past him to pull the front door open. “Come on, shoo.”

“Stop shooing me. I’m not a raccoon that got in the garbage.”

“You’re a sneaky wolf that got in my room and bit me.” Stiles teased, sticking his tongue out. Derek smirked and pressed two fingers against the mark he had left on Stiles’ shoulder, making him wince.

“You’ll live. See you tomorrow.” He removed his hand and slipped out of the house, hands wedged deep in his pockets as he walked shiftily away down the sidewalk.

**. o o o .**

Stiles flailed his way off his bed when he heard the knock at his bedroom door and pulled it open to be greeted by Scott, his face twisted up as though he had just smelled something disgusting.

“You look like someone took a belt sander to your face.”

“Scott, that isn’t how normal people say hello.”

“Well you do.”

“Do not.” He stepped back, holding the door open and waited for Scott to stop loitering in the hallway.

“I’m not sitting in here. It stinks of Derek.” Scott complained, standing in the doorway of Stiles’ bedroom and glaring at him. “Has he been staying here again?”

“Shush!” Stiles hissed, flailing his hands at Scott and beckoning him into the room. “Sit by the window if you’re going to complain about smells. And yes, he stayed last night, but my dad doesn’t need to hear you shouting about it in the hallway!”

“I don’t want to sit by your window. Can’t we go out some place?”

“Do we have to? I’m enjoying being in my pyjamas.”

“Yes! Come on, I got paid yesterday and its 20 cent wings day at that place near the highway.”

“You sure know how to show someone a good time.” Stiles complained, getting to his feet and digging around in his dresser for a clean t-shirt.

“I’ll bet it’s still classier than any dates Derek’s taken you on.” Scott joked, hovering in the doorway and shooting disgusted looks towards Stiles’ bed.

“Um.” Stiles pulled his pyjama shirt over this head. “We’ve never gone on any actual dates.”

“Seriously? Never? Not even to the movies?”

“No.”

“How come?”

“Just haven’t.”

“Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s that on your shoulder?” Scott asked, frowning at Stiles as he flushed and pulled his t-shirt down quickly.

“Nothing.”

“Dude, it’s a bite mark.” Scott stepped closer, wrinkling his nose up at the apparent aroma of Derek and tugged at the back of Stiles’ shirt until he could see his neck. “He bit you?”

“Christ, he wasn’t trying to turn me or anything.” Stiles grumbled, twisting out of Scott’s grip and rubbing at the back of his neck. “He was messing around. Human teeth only, no fangs.”

“What if he’d lost control? That could kill you, you know.”

“Are we going to go eat cheap wings or not?” Stiles snapped, cutting Scott off. “’Cause we’re not having _this_ conversation anymore.”

“Only because you know I’m right.”

“Wings or go away. Pick one.” Stiles glared at Scott, who held his gaze for a minute before sighing dramatically, won over by his desire for chicken wings. Within a few minutes they were in Stiles’ Jeep, speeding towards the seedy strip mall that housed Scott’s beloved chicken wing place. In a bid to appease Scott, Stiles had let him pick the music they were listening to and they were both singing along loudly to Blink 182 as Stiles blasted through a set of lights just as they turned red.

Scott somehow managed to keep his opinions about Derek and bite marks to himself as they drove, catching Stiles up on the latest dramas of the rest of the pack.

“Isaac hooked up with that girl again.”

“The sophomore?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought he didn’t like her?” Stiles asked, honking the horn and giving the finger to the driver of a Prius that pulled out unexpectedly in front of him. “Why is he hooking up with her?”

“Probably ‘cause she’ll blow him.” Scott shrugged. “Apparently she’s always at Erica’s house and he’d gone to hang out with her and Boyd.”

“Lovely. Hey, how come you didn’t bring Isaac along?”

“I thought you’d pout if I did.” Scott told him as Stiles turned into the strip mall’s parking lot.

“I don’t pout.”

“You totally do. You get all jealous and pouty.”

“Shut up.” Stiles huffed, locking the Jeep. “I do not.”

“If you say so.”  They ambled across the parking lot and into the restaurant.

“You could invite Isaac next time if you wanted to.” Stiles said as they sat down with their food. “I don’t have a problem with him anymore.”

“He’ll probably want to bring Derek along though. He’s hanging out with him today.”

“What’s wrong with bringing Derek? More the merrier and all that.”

“Because if Isaac or you bring Derek, all you’ll do it sit there and ignore us while you make out with him.”

“No I wouldn’t.”

“You would. It’d totally put me off my wings.”

“Why are you always bitching about Derek?” Stiles pouted, twisting sideways in his seat and putting his feet up on the chair next to him. 

“I don’t know. I just don’t like him very much.”

“But why? You love everyone, which makes the fact that you don’t like Derek even weirder. You even liked Matt, even though he was creepy stalking Allison.”

“We didn’t know that at the time!”

“Yeah, but you know Derek isn’t a creepy stalker, or controlling any kind of murder lizard.”

“He was horrible to us when we first met him. And he totally behaves like a creepy stalker.”

“Ever think that’s because we dug up his sister’s body and got him arrested? Got him arrested twice in your case.” Stiles frowned. “Would you want to be nice to someone who did that to you?”

“I wouldn’t bury my sister in my front yard.” Scott huffed, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his hoodie.

“That’s because you haven’t got a sister. Can’t you just try to not actively hate him?”

“I do try. I go to pack meetings. I just don’t get what there is to like. All he does it lurk around being creepy and snarking at people.”

“Shut up. He does plenty of other stuff. You just don’t know because you never talk to him. You just assume he’s trying to be a dick to you all the time.”

“Because he usually is.”

“No, he isn’t. Look, how would you like it if I bitched and moaned about Allison every time we were hanging out? And said horrible stuff about her?”

“That’s different.”

“Why?!”

“Because. Me and Allison are going to be together forever.” Scott replied smugly.

“Well first off, you don’t know that and you’ve split up at least twice that I know of, and second, me and Derek? Dude, it’s not just some little thing that’s going to go away. I’m seriously, seriously in love with him and I’m pretty sure he’s it for me now.”

“So I can’t say I’m going to be with Allison forever but you can say it in some confusing roundabout way about  Derek? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“I’m not saying you can’t say it. I’m saying stop behaving like you’re expecting me to come to my senses and say ‘oh yeah, Derek was just a phase’. That’s not going to happen and it’d be great if you could at least try and not hate him for my sake. Aside from my dad, you and Derek are my favourite people in the world and I want you to not hate him.”

“But...”

“No but! Even my dad likes Derek. My dad who’s arrested him before and could probably arrest him again if he knew half the stuff we were doing. If he can like Derek, there’s no reason you shouldn’t.”

“We haven’t got anything in common.”

“Uh, yes you have. Me!” Stiles grinned, spreading his arms wide. “And actually you have, you just don’t talk to Derek to find these things out. He likes Jackass, you know.”

“Lots of people like Jackass.”

“Yeah, and you’re one of them. You weren’t this weird about me and him when we first got together.”

“That was different. I never see you anymore. If we’re not in school, you’re at Derek’s or he’s at yours.”

“Pretty sure we’ve had this exact same conversation about when you did exactly the same thing with Allison. And Isaac.” Stiles huffed, taking a long sip from his drink. “I only get to see Derek outside of school time, so yeah, I’m going to make the most of it.”

“Fine. I’ll make an effort. But tell him he has to do the same with me. He’s not allowed to be all Derek at me.”

“I love you!” Stiles laughed, kneeling up on his chair and trying to pull Scott into a hug across the table. “Seriously, give him a chance and you’ll like him. It’ll probably be like Isaac all over again, you’ll decide you like him better than me!”

“Get off me, you crazy person.” Scott grinned, leaning back out of Stiles’ reach. “And I don’t like Isaac better than you!”

“I know, I just like to be reminded that I’m the best.” Stiles smirked, sitting back down in his seat and poking around at the Styrofoam container in front of him to check he hadn’t missed any wings. “So, um.”

“Um?” Scott asked, wiping his fingers off on a napkin. “Um what?”

“I’ve joined your semi-exclusive club. If you can call it that. I guess it’s probably not  all that exclusive really.”

“What club? What are you talking about?” Scott frowned at him. Stiles opened his mouth to reply but stopped as a rowdy group of construction workers entered the restaurant.

“Come on, I’ll tell you in the car.” He got up and gave Scott a meaningful look. Scott glanced from the new customers to Stiles and scrambled to his feet, getting the hint at last.

“What’s so bad that you can’t say it in front of random strangers?” Scott asked as they wandered across the parking lot towards the Jeep.

“It’s not bad. Just nothing I want to be blurting out in front of scary looking workmen types.”

“Go on then, spill.” Scott demanded as he clambered into the Jeep.”What club were you going on about?”

“The not a virgin anymore club.” Stiles mumbled, leaning over and making more a show of getting the keys in the ignition than was strictly necessary.

“Huh?”

“Seriously? Huh? I’m trying to tell you I’m an ex-virgin!” Stiles wailed, sitting up.

“Oh. I didn’t hear you.”

“Bullshit. If you can hear when I’m lying, you could definitely hear that!”

“Yeah but now you’re all annoyed and you’ve gone a weird red colour.” Scott grinned. “Of course I heard you.”

“Dick.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Your mom’s a dick.”

“Dude.” Scott glared at him. “That’s not cool.”

“You’re not...”

“Don’t say it.” Scott sighed. “Are you sure you’re old enough to be having sex? ‘Cause you sound like you’ve just escaped from kindergarten right now.”

“I can be very mature when I want to be.”

“So did it hurt?”

“Sure you want to ask too many questions?” Stiles grinned, revving the engine and speeding out of the parking lot. “You might accidentally think about me and Derek doing it.”

“I’m trying to make an effort.” Scott muttered. “So did it?”

“No, not really.” Stiles told him, wondering how much he could say to Scott without giving away the exact details of who topped who; he was pretty confident that Derek wouldn’t want the rest of the pack knowing all the exact and intimate details of their brand new sex life.

“Oh. People always make it sound like it’ll hurt.”

“What people? Who are you talking to about anal sex all the time?” Stiles smirked. “Anyway, if it hurts, you’re not doing it right.”

“It hurts for girls the first time. Allison said so.”

“Maybe you were doing it wrong then.”

“She’d already done it with someone before me.” Scott replied with an awkward shrug. “Hey, has Derek slept with many other guys?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never asked him.”

“Is he gay then? Or is he like you? Into guys and girls?”

“Never asked him that either. I’m not really bothered, all I know is that he likes me and I like him. What do you care?”

“I don’t really, I was just wondering.”

“Well stop wondering. What are we doing now?”

“Wanna come back to mine? I’ve got a bunch of co-op achievements I need to get on Far Cry and Isaac won’t help me.”

“Why do you have to get all the achievements? You’re not going to get a medal for it or anything. Everyone will just know you’re a massive dork with too much time on his hands!”

Scott leaned over and punched Stiles in the arm, causing the Jeep to swerve wildly across the road.

“You’ve been a werewolf for over a year. How do you keep forgetting your stupid wolf strength?” Stiles snapped when he got the Jeep back under control.

“You called me a dork.” Scott grumbled. “You deserved it.”

“Not really convincing me I should help you in your dork mission.” He narrowed his eyes at Scott as he spoke. “Say sorry Stiles or I’ll delete all your saves.”

“Sorry Stiles.”

“Good boy.” Stiles grinned impishly and reached over to pat Scott on the head. “It’s a good job you’ve got me, otherwise you’d be sat at home crying over your lack of achievement points every night. Poor sad little Scott.”

“Maybe I’ll ask Allison to help instead...” Scott mused, frowning at Stiles.

“No you won’t. Because then she’ll know how much of a dork you are.” He leant against the car door in case Scott got it into his head that he needed another punch in the arm. “Just remember that I helped you in your loserness and got your achievement points for you when I make you hang out with Derek!”

“What does Far Cry have to do with Derek?”

“Well I figure it’s kind of a transaction; you get _x_ amount of time of me helping your ass out on the Xbox, I get _z_ amount of time of you being nice to my boyfriend. Everyone wins.”

 


	50. Chapter 50

“Remind me why I have to hang out with Scott again?” Derek asked, scowling at Stiles’ back as he fiddled with the cables at the back of the TV. “I see him at pack meetings. When he ignores what I tell him and does whatever he wants.”

“You’re hanging out with him because I’m hanging out with him and you like hanging out with me.” He stopped fiddling with the cables for a minute and turned to look at Derek. “Stop doing that sad face, He’s only going to be here for a few hours. And then I get you all to myself.”

“He doesn’t like me though.”

“Well duh, that’s the point of the hanging out. So you start liking each other.”

“I don’t have a problem with Scott. He has a problem with me.”

“Fine. So he’ll start liking you. I swear to God, it’s like dealing with children trying to talk to you two.”

Derek scoffed as Stiles turned his attention back to the Xbox and TV. “That seems a little hypocritical coming from you.”

“I’m the model of maturity and rationality.”

“You’re a filthy liar. A filthy liar who’s trying to make us bond over video games.”

“Aww, is that why you’re grouchy? You don’t know how to play games?” Stiles grinned at him, rocking back onto his heels and watching the annoyed scowl that crossed Derek’s face.

“I lived in a house in the woods.” Derek sighed. “Not the actual woods. I’ve played video games.”

“If you say so.”

“Is this really what you two do for Thanksgiving? Sit around and play video games?”

“Last few years, yeah. I sometimes used to go to Scott’s house before his dad left but since then my dad and his mom are usually working. Or at least my dad is always working. I think he does it partly so other people can take the day off and partly ‘cause it was my mom’s favourite holiday. I dunno, maybe it reminds him of her too much. Why?”

“Thanksgiving always makes me think of family, not sitting around and playing Xbox all day and eating junk food.”

“Oh, we don’t eat junk. We eat Chinese food.”

“Much better.”

“So what did...” He trailed off and shot Derek an apprehensive look.

“What?”

“I was going to ask what did your family used to do on Thanksgiving? I can ask stuff like that, right?”

“Yes.” Derek sat quietly for a few minutes, a faraway look in his eyes. “We just used to have a normal Thanksgiving. Sometimes my cousins would come visit and it’d be a big reunion, but mostly it was just sitting around not having to go to school and eating too much food.”

“Oh.”

“Oh what? Were you hoping I was going to say we hunted down deer with our bare hands, ate them raw then howled at the moon?”

“Well that seems a little more wolfy than sitting around eating turkey and yams.” Stiles replied, crossing to the couch and flopping down beside Derek.

“Werewolf, not actual wolf.” Derek sighed, rolling his eyes. “My dad and Peter did kill a deer at Christmas once though...”

“Seriously? They murdered Bambi out in the woods? That seems exactly like the sort of thing Peter would do.”

“No.” Derek grinned. “My dad hit it with his truck driving into town.”

“Oh you’re not even remotely funny.” Stiles complained, pinching Derek’s arm. “You clearly think you are, but you’re really, really not.”

“So what’s your Thanksgiving anecdote?” Derek asked, draping his arm over the back of the couch and letting his fingers brush against Stiles’ upper arm.

“Anecdote?”

“You always have weird stories about stuff.” Derek shrugged, smiling as Stiles leant against him.

“I do?” Stiles beamed, apparently considering this to be a brilliant compliment. “Hmm...Thanksgiving stories.” He tapped his finger against his chin as he thought. “Oh! I’ve got a good one! From when I was in like, second grade. My baba and deda were here and deda got all pissed at my mom for “shunning her Czech roots” by making Thanksgiving dinner and sat on the back porch all afternoon smoking these disgusting clove cigarettes and complaining about how he wasn’t going to eat any of the food.” He paused and snuggled closer to Derek. “But he kept getting me to sneak stuff out to him and calling me ‘his little opice’. It means monkey,” He added when Derek looked blank. “He didn’t realise that my mom and my baba were giving me the food to take out to him.” 

Derek said nothing and tightened his arm around Stiles, pressing a kiss against the side of his head.

“Um. In retrospect, you were probably expecting some awesome tale involving me, Scott and broken bones, right?” Stiles mumbled. “Not some lame story about seven year old Stiles.”

“It wasn’t lame.”

“Now I think about it, I actually have plenty of Thanksgiving stories that _do_ involve me and Scott and minor injuries. Want to hear them?”

“No.” Derek twisted sideways on the couch until he was facing Stiles and closed the gap between them, pressing a sweet kiss against the corner of his mouth, "I liked that one.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm hmm.”

“That was the last time I remember having a proper Thanksgiving. My mom was too sick the next year.” Stiles sighed, looking down at the floor. “And wow, I just seriously ruined the mood, huh?”

“No you didn’t.” Derek lay back against the arm of the couch and tugged gently on Stiles’ shirt until he lay down beside him, wedged between the back of the couch and Derek’s warm bulk. He could feel himself getting drowsy as Derek trailed his fingers up and down his back.

“You’re sniffing me, aren’t you?” He yawned as he felt Derek moving slightly, burying his face in his hair.

“No.”

“Liar. I smell nice, right?”

“I wasn’t scenting you.” Derek huffed.

“You totally were. I smell good, don’t I?”

“You smell smug.”

“What colour does smug smell like?” Stiles teased; he was still fascinated with the way Derek ascribed colours to certain scents.

“If I kiss you, will you be quiet?”

“You’ve got such an interesting way of changing the subject.” Stiles grinned, tilting his head back as Derek pulled lightly on his hair and kissed him. Stiles hummed happily into Derek’s mouth, deepening the kiss as he slid his hand down Derek’s side so he could work his fingers under the waistband of Derek’s jeans.

“Stop that.”

“Why? What do I smell like now?” Stiles laughed, propping himself up on his elbow and wiggling his fingers against Derek’s hip bone.

“You know exactly what you smell like.” Derek told him, reaching down and pulling Stiles’ hand from his jeans. “Scott’s going to be here soon. You think he’s not going to notice?”

“Will you stay over tonight then? So we can stink up my room instead?”

“Maybe.”

“Come on, give me something more than maybe. I can’t really work with maybe.”

“I can hear Scott’s car.” Derek told him, sitting up abruptly and dislodging Stiles. “You’ll have to deal with maybe.”

“You’re just not cool.” Stiles grumbled, getting to his feet and wandering out of the den. He heard Scott pull up outside and went to sit on the stairs to wait for him.

“You brought Isaac.” Stiles frowned as Scott let himself into the house. “Why have you brought Isaac? No offence, Isaac.” He added, grinning apologetically at Isaac who shrugged in response.

“I’m hardly going to leave him at home by himself, am I? It’s Thanksgiving.”

“You don’t want to hang out with just me and Derek, do you?”

“Well you might start trying to eat his face again like you did when we came over to watch movies.” Scott scowled. “And I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“You know Derek’s here already, right?” Stiles huffed, turning away from Scott. “He’s in the den and can hear everything you’re saying.”

“I know he’s here. We couldn’t exactly miss his car parked outside.” Scott replied.

“So maybe you should start with the being nice thing now?”

“Are we standing in the hallway all day or can I go sit down?” Isaac interjected. “’Cause I don’t have a problem with Derek. Or you and Derek. Or...what’s the problem again? Because either way, this seems kind of stupid.”

Stiles shrugged and dragged Scott off towards the kitchen as Isaac left them. He kicked the door shut behind them, aware that it wouldn’t stop Derek being able to hear them but would at least give an illusion of privacy.

“Are you going to be like this all day?” He demanded, turning on his heel to face Scott.

“Like what?” Scott asked, pulling open the fridge to look for a drink.

“Complaining about Derek.”

“I’m not complaining.” Scott told him, turning round with a can of Sprite in his hand. “It’s just Thanksgiving is meant to be our thing.”

“You brought Isaac!” Stiles exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

“Yeah, but that’s because he’d be sat at my house by himself if I didn’t. My mom’s working a double shift.”

“And where do you think Derek would be?”

“That’s different.”

“No, it’s really not. Look, you said you were going to make an effort. Start making one.” He grabbed Scott by the shoulders and spun him round, marching him from the room and towards the den. “And if you’re not nice, there’ll be no pork buns for you.”

Scott turned his head and shot him a grief stricken look over his shoulder, allowing himself to be steered through the lounge and into the den. Isaac had already made himself at home in the armchair nearest the TV and was in the midst of explaining Assassin’s Creed to a bored looking Derek.

“Scott’s going to be nice.” Stiles announced, letting go of Scott’s shoulders and throwing himself down on the couch beside Derek. “Right, Scott?”

“Uh, yeah.” Scott frowned at Stiles and took a seat in the recliner, grabbing the lever and throwing it in to full recline. They all lapsed into silence; Scott pointedly keeping his gaze fixed on the TV so he didn’t have to look at Stiles and Derek.

Stiles started feeling uncomfortable and twitchy after ten minutes of sitting quietly; chewing on his fingernails to stop himself from talking before resorting to jamming his entire thumb in his mouth while they watched Isaac playing his game. He was determined not to say anything until Scott made an effort to speak to Derek, and could feel himself getting more and more keyed up as each long minute passed. Even more annoyingly, this fact was patently obvious to the three werewolves in the room as Derek kept shooting him anxious little glances. By the time thirty minutes had passed, he felt like he was about to crawl out of his own skin and yelped when Derek laid what he seemed to think was a comforting hand on his thigh.

“Takeout menus!” He squawked, jumping to his feet and pointing towards the door before rushing off to the kitchen.

“Are you OK?”

Stiles turned around to see Derek standing in the kitchen doorway, an apprehensive expression on his face.

“I’m fine.”

“Yeah, right. Your heart is beating like crazy.” Derek told him, padding silently across the kitchen and slipping his arms around Stiles’ waist, leaning close so he could whisper in his ear. “Stop worrying so much. So what if Scott doesn’t like me right now? It’s not a big deal.”

“It is to me.” Stiles replied, bowing his head and resting his forehead against Derek’s shoulder. “I just want the two of you to get on.”

“Stop trying to force it then.”

“I’m not.” Stiles gave a half laugh and leant into Derek’s hug. “Much, anyway. I don’t get why he’s being a dick about this.”

“Because he doesn’t trust me.” Derek shrugged. “Or like me very much. It’s fine.”

“It’s really, really not...” Stiles started, only to have Derek cut him off with a kiss.

“OK, so it’s not fine, but I’m OK with him not liking me. You like me. That’s all I really care about.”

“Yeah but you shouldn’t be OK with people not liking you and being dickish about it. You don’t deserve it.” Stiles complained, rolling his eyes when Derek scowled at him. “Look, you can do your stupid grumpy cat face all you want. It’s true; you deserve people not being out and out dicks towards you on a regular basis.”

“If you say so.” Derek disentangled himself from Stiles and looked at him. “Weren’t you meant to be getting takeout menus?”

**. o o o .**

Ordering takeout shouldn’t have been so difficult, Stiles thought to himself afterwards; Scott had sulked about where Stiles wanted to order from, complaining that the pork buns from Stiles’ usual place were no good before rapidly changing his mind when Derek agreed with him. Isaac had been no help either, refusing to be parted from the Xbox while they looked at the menus and then complaining when he didn’t like what they ordered on his behalf. By the time the food arrived, they were all sat in frustrated silence, which was worsened by Derek demanding that he pay for the food, refusing to listen to Stiles’ protests about how he had money and could pay for his own food, thank you very much.

“So, um, I’m going to put some music on.” Stiles muttered. “Seeing as how I don’t seem to be allowed to play on my own Xbox. Which was the whole point of you guys coming over. So we could _all_ play on the Xbox.”

Isaac ignored him; Stiles considered throwing his half empty takeout container at the back of his head for a moment before realising he’d be the one having to clean crispy noodles off the carpet later and huffed his way upstairs to grab his laptop.

“I get to pick the music.” Scott demanded, snatching Stiles’ laptop from him as he came back into the room. Stiles rolled his eyes and fell back onto the couch, turning his attention back to the TV, watching Isaac as he continued to play Assassin’s Creed.

“It’s my house, so I get veto powers.” Stiles reminded him. “Same rule as in my Jeep.”

“Why do you get to apply that rule in your own car if you won’t acknowledge it in anyone else’s?” Derek asked. “You made me listen to bad music the other day and said I had no choice in the matter.”

“Hey! All Time Low are good!”

“No.”

“You can’t just dismiss my opinion with a no!” Stiles pouted. “Just because you lived in Brooklyn once doesn’t mean you have a better taste in music than the rest of us.”

Scott scoffed at them both, putting on New Found Glory and turning the volume on the laptop up to maximum.

“Really Scott, _Listen to Your Friends_?” Stiles sneered. “Are you sure you’re being obvious enough?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Scott replied. “It was the first on the list.”

“No it wasn’t. You’re being a dick.”

“I’m just putting on one of my favourite songs.” Scott shrugged, looking back at the laptop while he tried to stop himself from smirking.

“I’ve seen them play live.” Derek said quietly, resting one hand on top of Stiles’ feet as he wedged his toes under his thigh.

“What? No you haven’t!” Scott looked up from the laptop in surprise.

“Yes, I have.”

“When?”

“When they played the Warped Tour.”

“You’ve been to the Warped Tour? But you’re....you’re Derek!”

“I went three times. My brother took me.” Derek replied. “What’s ‘you’re Derek’ supposed to mean?”

“You know, you look like you shouldn’t like that sort of music.” Scott muttered, looking vaguely embarrassed by his remark. “And, well, Stiles said that you like weird music.”

“I didn’t say it quite like that.” Stiles frowned when Derek looked at him. “Anyway, you do.”

“You’ve seriously been to the Warped Tour?” Scott asked, dumping Stiles’ laptop on the coffee table. “When? Who did you see?”

“I went 2001, 2003 and 2004.” Derek told him with a shrug. “Why?”

“We always used to say we were going to go.” Stiles grinned, wiggling his toes under Derek’s thigh. “And by used to I mean we were still having that same conversation this summer.” He shot a quick grin at Scott, who was still staring at Derek as though he’d grown a second head. “We never seem to get past the talking about it part of the plan though.”

“Really? One of your plans didn’t work out?” Derek smirked at Stiles. “I’m shocked.”

“You’re so mean to me.” Stiles grumbled, pushing Derek half heartedly with his foot. “My plans always work out. Because I’m awesome.”

“Name one plan of yours that worked out the way that you intended it to.” Scott scoffed.

“Well that’s clearly an unfair request. I don’t _plan_ for them to turn out certain ways.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of a plan?” Isaac asked as he finally turned off the Xbox. “That it happens the way you _planned_ it?”

“You obviously haven’t been part of many of Stiles’ grand plans.” Scott grinned, leaning forward to put another song on. “Calling them plans would kind of suggest there’s some kind of thought process that goes into them. If it doesn’t end up with us sat in back of his dad’s police car, then it’s probably one of his better ideas.”

“Rude!” Stiles muttered, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at Scott.

“You’ll get over it. Hey, Derek?” Scott asked uncertainly. “Did you ever see Blink 182?”

Stiles grinned and busied himself with making idle conversation with Isaac about school stuff while he half listened to Derek and Scott talking, actually properly talking rather than griping at each other, about how Derek had apparently seen most of Scott’s favourite bands at one time or another. Score one for Operation Make Scott and Derek Bond, he thought, nodding along as Isaac complained about how cafeteria food should be made illegal.

**. o o o .**

“So I think Scott likes you now.” Stiles said softly, tracing the outlines of Derek’s stomach muscles with a finger tip. “You looked like you were doing the whole bonding thing earlier.”

“You mean when he was grilling me about what bands I’ve seen? Or when he was generally surprised that I didn’t spend my childhood living in a cave in the woods with no knowledge of music or popular culture?”

“He was totally impressed. Nothing impresses him more than Blink.”

“I keep telling you, I don’t care if Scott likes me or not.” Derek huffed, dragging his fingers through Stiles’ hair. “I just care that you’re happy.”

“Well watching you awkwardly bond with Scott makes me happy.” Stiles grinned, turning his head to the side and pressing a kiss against Derek’s collarbone. “So thank you.”

“I didn’t really do anything.” Derek shrugged, lightly dragging his fingernails across Stiles’ scalp. Stiles hummed happily against Derek’s chest and tightened his grip on his waist.

“You’re happy too, right?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t hmm me. You heard. You are happy, aren’t you?”

“Happier than I’ve been in a long time.” Derek murmured, letting his hand drop from Stiles’ hair to his shoulder and hugging him close.

“That’s good, right?” Stiles asked a moment’s happy, preening pause. “Only I kind of get the impression your idea of happy is pretty different to mine.”

“If I say I’m happy then I’m happy.” Derek sighed. “Don’t pick at it.”

“Roger that.” Stiles laughed, making a pathetic saluting gesture. “No picking at your happiness. It’s ‘cause of me though, huh? You’re happy ‘cause of me.”

“Maybe.”

“Oh it totally is. Go on, admit it. You’re happy and it’s my fault!”

“I’m going to sleep now.” Derek huffed, pulling away from Stiles and rolling onto his side. “And just so you know, you smell smug again.”

“I smell awesome.” Stiles laughed, shuffling closer to Derek and snaking an arm around his waist. “I smell awesome and you love me and I make you happy. If you just admit it, I’ll shut up and let you go to sleep.”

“I’m not admitting anything.” Derek replied, shivering slightly as Stiles started kissing the back of his neck. “And you can’t stop me going to sleep.”

“That sounds like my kind of challenge!” Stiles pressed closer to Derek, sliding his hand down his stomach until his fingers were nudging at the waistband of his boxer shorts.

“Not a challenge.” Derek complained, grabbing hold of Stiles’ wrist and halting his progress. “Will you be quiet if I tell you that yes, you’re part of the reason I’m happier?”

“I’ll be smugger. But yeah, being part of the reason works for me.” Stiles smiled, moving his hand away from Derek’s underwear. “What at the other parts?”

“Sleeping, not talking.” Derek reached for Stiles’ hand, linking their fingers together before falling silent. Stiles  smiled to himself in the darkness, figuring he’d have the whole day to get Derek to admit what else was making him happy. Screw going to the mall with the rest of America, he had Derek-interrogating to be getting on with.

“Stiles?”

He was just on the edge of sleep when he heard Derek whisper his name and gave a quiet ‘huh?’ in return.

“I love you.” Derek squeezed his hand briefly before falling silent again.

“Love you too.” Stiles replied groggily, planting a kiss against the top spiral of Derek’s tattoo before pressing closer to him, unable to stop the stupid grin that played across his face as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the idea of young!Derek going to the Warped Tour is probably really OOC, but goddamnit, I want him to have had nice things!! :$


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, I'm tampering with semi-canon-ish birthdays again! C:

“What are you getting me for my birthday?” Stiles demanded for what felt to Derek like the hundredth time that day. As November had rolled into December, Stiles had ramped up his campaign of “tell me what presents you’re giving me”, and was becoming more and more unbearable the closer it got to his birthday.

“I’m not telling you.”

“You know it’s only a week away, right?”

“Yes Stiles, I know when your birthday is. It’s when the apocalypse is meant to happen.”

“That kind of sounds like you’re implying the apocalypse will be my fault.”

Derek said nothing but cocked an eyebrow at Stiles and shot him a brief smirk.

“You’re getting me separate birthday and Christmas presents though, right? ‘Cause people who get me a combined present suck. There’s four whole days between my birthday and Christmas. That means separate presents.” Stiles shoved a handful of green Skittles in his mouth; he’d sorted them into little heaps on the coffee table and was currently eating his way through them, one colour at a time.

“You realise you sound like a five year old right now?”

“Yes. Are you getting me two lots of presents? Yes or no?”

“Yes, I’m getting you separate presents. Will you please be quiet now so we can watch this?” He gestured towards the TV.

“So how come you haven’t asked me what I want yet?”

“Because I know what weird shit you like.” Derek replied, pulling Stiles closer and covering his mouth with his hand. “You like annoying the crap out of me for a start.”

“Too mean!” Stiles complained from behind Derek’s hand. “You don’t know what I want for my birthday though, I guarantee.”

“I’m letting you and your friends come round here on Friday. That’s your birthday present.”

“It better fucking not be! It’s not like I’m throwing some Lydia-esque party; your pack of misfits, emphasis on the _your_ , are coming over to hang out so we can smoke some weed and empty your fridge of beers.”

“I could still change my mind about that.” Derek muttered.

“Yeah, and I could not blow you before I leave.” Stiles replied, grinning wickedly when Derek blushed. “Huh. So I can give you blow jobs, but I can’t talk about them?” He felt immensely pleased with himself when Derek’s blush deepened.

“You don’t have to, you know. If you don’t want to.”

“Of course I want to. Stop being an idiot and ask me what I want for my birthday.”

“Fine. What do you want for your birthday Stiles?”

“Promise you won’t laugh, or freak out?” He chewed on his fingernail while he watched Derek, who rolled his eyes in response.

“Why would a birthday present freak me out?”

“Because I’m not asking for something you can buy in a shop.” Stiles mumbled, blushing. “It’s a sex thing.”

“What sex thing?” Derek bristled.

“Well I’m hoping we’ll be having sex on my birthday for a start.” Stiles grinned. “But I was kind of hoping maybe you could, uh, top?”

“That’s all you want for your birthday? Sex?”

“Oh no, I want presents as well. But some mind-blowingly hot sex with my mind-blowingly hot boyfriend would be an added bonus.”

“But we’ve never done it like that before. I’ve never done that before.”

“And? I’d never done it before until a few weeks ago and I didn’t do too bad, right? If my uncoordinated, clumsy ass self can manage, I’m thoroughly convinced that you’ll be able to.”

“I don’t know...”

“Why not?” Stiles wheedled. He leant forward and swept the pile of red skittles into his cupped hand, offering them to Derek. “Want some? I don’t share reds with just anyone. They’re the best flavour.”

“I’m good.” Derek replied, shaking his head.

“So why aren’t you sure about sexing me up good and proper?”

“Because you say things like that.”

“You’re deflecting you know.” Stiles told him, flicking a skittle at his face and missing. “Just answer the question. Are you worried you’ll go all werewolf strengthy and hurt me or something?”

“Maybe.” Derek shrugged.

“You’ve never lost control of it before when we’ve done it. Why would it be any different that way round?”

“I don’t know. It just might.”

“Not a good enough reason. I know you don’t ever lose control. I’m not accepting that excuse. Come up with a better one.”

“Stiles...”

“Don’t Stiles me. At least think about it? Please?” He nudged at Derek until he lay back against the arm of the couch, leaning on his chest and kissing him. “We don’t have to if you really don’t want to, but it feels pretty goddamn amazing when it’s just your fingers, so I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that this – “ he ran his hand across Derek’s crotch and gently squeezed his half-hard cock, “ – will be even better.”

Derek bit his lower lip and moaned softly, lifting his hips slightly as Stiles moved his hand away; as clumsy as Stiles’ attempt at dirty talk was, it was definitely doing something for him.

“And I’ll be honest,” Stiles continued, pressing up against Derek, “it doesn’t seem like you’re actually all that opposed to the idea.”

“Thinking about it is fine.” Derek mumbled as Stiles dipped his head lower to kiss his neck. “Maybe I am worried that I’ll hurt you.”

“I knew it!” Stiles crowed, sitting upright. “You’re not going to hurt me! Well, unless you’re planning on throwing it up there all unlubed or something.”

“Nicely phrased.” Derek scoffed, grabbing a handful of Stiles’ shirt and pulling him close again.

“Thanks, I thought so.” Stiles laughed. “Have I ever hurt you?”

“No. That’s different though. I can heal if you did.” Derek replied, slipping one arm around Stiles’ waist and hugging him close. “Anyway, we’ve only had sex five times.”

“You’re keeping count?! I thought that was my job!”

“Shut up. I’m making a point.”

“Really? What point is that?” Stiles slid his hand under Derek’s t-shirt, lightly stroking his ribs.

“Just because you haven’t hurt me doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you.”

“Yeah but what’s five times got to do with it?”

“It’s not much of a basis for comparison.” Derek shrugged awkwardly.

“Seriously, you’re not going to hurt me!” Stiles sighed. “Would you please just stop worrying about it so....wait, do you think you’re going to hurt me ‘cause you think your dick’s bigger than mine?”

“Did you really just ask me that?” Derek huffed.

“Oh my God! You do, don’t you?!” Stiles pulled away from Derek and knelt up on the couch.  “Oh we’re so settling this right now!” He reached for the waistband of Derek’s jeans, scrabbling at the button. “Come on Hale, pants off!”

“No.”

“Yes!” Stiles undid the button of Derek’s flies and started yanking on the zipper. “I can’t believe we’ve been together for five months and we haven’t actively compared dicks yet! There’s something very wrong with our relationship.”

“No, there’s something very wrong with you. I’m not comparing anything. Normal people don’t do that.” Derek grabbed hold of Stiles’ wrists before he could reach into his underwear. “Stop being an idiot.”

“I’m not being an idiot! Me and Scott have compared.” Stiles grinned, trying to pull his wrists out of Derek’s grip. “Scott’s is...”

“Stop talking right now.” Derek demanded, a disgusted scowl on his face. “I don’t want to hear about Scott or his dick. Why can’t you ever just accept maybe as an answer?”

“Maybes are rubbish answers.” Stiles pouted. “I’m not trying to annoy you, I just really, really want to try it. Please just think about it? Sex with you is awesome, even if we haven’t done it much, but I really want you to try topping one time; I guarantee it’d be awesome.”

“I’ll think about it.” Derek sighed, using his grip on Stiles’ wrist to pull him back into a hug. “Just stop pushing and picking at things all the time. I have thought about it, I’m just scared I’ll hurt you. And I know you think I won’t lose control of my shift, but it’s different to when you top; if I’m topping, it’s like I’ve got power over you.”

“Hate to break it to you, but you’re an alpha. Having power over people is sort of your job description.”

“Having power over the pack is completely different to having power over you. I don’t want being an alpha to be a factor in our relationship. I probably could have, if I’d wanted to, but I like not having all the control when I’m with you. I like that it’s equal between us. Even if you are a bossy little shit sometimes.”

“It’s not about you having power or control or whatever over me.” Stiles said gently, leaning forward and placing fleeting kisses along Derek’s jaw. “It’s about us being, you know, equal. But if you really don’t want to do it, I’m not going to coerce you into it or anything.”

“You coerce me into doing stuff all the time.” Derek complained into Stiles hair. “Like making me hang out with Scott. Or ordering me to take you to McDonalds on the way back from school.”

“Yeah, but that’s different. I’m not going to coerce you into sex stuff. That’d be seriously shitty of me.”

“It’s shitty of you to coerce me into hanging out with Scott. He still doesn’t seem to be able to decide if he hates me or likes me.”

“He’ll get over it. Thought you didn’t care what Scott thought of you?” Stiles teased.

“I don’t. Which is why I don’t see why I have to keep hanging out with him. If he doesn’t like me, fine. Let him get on with that in his own time.” Derek grumbled. “As long as he’s respecting me as his alpha, I don’t really care whether he likes me or not. “

“Is this your way of saying you don’t want to come and hang out with us tomorrow then?”

“Maybe.” Derek mumbled, grabbing hold of Stiles’ arm and twisting it around so he could look at his watch, ignoring his “ow’s” of complaint.

“You could just ask.” Stiles complained when Derek released his grip on him.

“I wanted to see how much time we wasted talking about Scott.”

“We hardly talked about Scott! We wasted time talking about whether you’re ever going to fuck me or not!” Stiles grinned, earning a frown and a soft growl from Derek. “Anyway, I’m not talking about that again because you’ll just make excuses and stuff and I only have – “ he looked at his watch “ – forty seven minutes before I need to leave if I want to make it home on time and I want to make the most of it.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Derek asked as Stiles sat up and pulled on his shirt until he did the same.

“I think you’ve probably got a vague idea.”

Derek smiled up at Stiles as he straddled his thighs to sit in his lap and automatically slid his hands up the back of Stiles’ t-shirt, fingertips lightly grazing across his skin as he pulled him close. Stiles lowered his head and kissed him, slow and sweet for a moment before Derek parted his lips, forcing Stiles to do the same and licked into his mouth. Stiles moaned hungrily, working his hands up into Derek’s hair as their kiss rapidly turned deeper and filthier, rocking his hips so his ass ground against Derek’s half-hard dick.

Stiles became vaguely aware of Derek’s knuckles brushing against his sides as he tugged on the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and making him shiver when his stomach was exposed to the cool air.

“But it’s all cold.” He pouted, sitting up and trying to pull his shirt back down. Derek gave him a thoroughly pathetic, and yet incredibly adorable look, glancing up at him from under his lashes.

“Please?”

Stiles bit his bottom lip and shook his head, pushing at Derek’s t-shirt until he leant forward and pulled it off in one easy motion, quirking an eyebrow at him. Stiles sighed dramatically but let Derek yank his layers of t-shirts up and over his head anyway, leaning back and whining softly as Derek dragged his fingernails down his chest. Derek looked up at him, flashing him a shy smile before dragging his tongue slowly up Stiles’ sternum.

“I’m still cold.” Stiles complained quietly, folding his arms across his bare chest. Derek rolled his eyes and gently grabbed hold of Stiles’ wrists, pulling his arms apart and drawing him into a hug.

“Better?”

“Much.” Stiles smiled easily, linking his arms behind Derek’s neck and kissing the tip of his nose. Derek returned his smile, sliding his hands up Stiles’ back and tilting his head back against the couch cushions so Stiles could kiss him. Stiles was nothing if not enthusiastic, tonguing his way hungrily into Derek’s mouth; Derek let him continue for a few minutes, enjoying Stiles’ moans as his kisses became more desperate.

Derek raised one hand to Stiles’ neck, cupping his cheek gently until he took the hint and slowed things down; he hummed happily into Stiles’ mouth, enjoying the slick, languid slide of Stiles’ tongue against his own. However, as he stroked Stiles’ cheek with his thumb, he could feel the little fidgety moments that meant his attention was starting to wander and pulled away, sighing.

“You’re getting bored, aren’t you?”

“No!” Stiles replied hurriedly as he leant back from Derek, his cheeks flushed. “I was just wondering...can I blow you yet?”

“What about you?” Derek frowned, trying to pull Stiles close again.

“Don’t worry about me. I’d rather just suck your dick.”

“But...”

“No buts!” Stiles wriggled off Derek’s lap and dropped to his knees in front of him. “Come on, lose the denim.” He knelt up slightly and reached for the button of Derek’s flies for the second time that evening; this time Derek sat back against the couch, his arms loose by his sides as Stiles slowly lowered his zipper, grinning hugely at the sight of Derek’s erect cock. Derek huffed in frustration as Stiles sat transfixed, running his fingers across the fabric of his tenting underwear and making his cock twitch. Stiles looked up when he heard Derek’s annoyed exhale and gave him a wicked grin, curling his fingers through Derek’s belt loops and pulling until he lifted his hips off the couch so Stiles could work his jeans down and over his ass.

“I’ve kind of stopped watching porn, you know.” Stiles blurted out, his tone almost conversational as he tugged Derek’s jeans down until they were pooled around his ankles, leaving him in nothing but his black boxers. “Getting to see you naked has kind of ruined it for me.”

“You sound weirdly sad about that.” Derek grunted as Stiles nudged the waistband of his boxers down to free his erection.

“I am.” Stiles sighed. “Watching porn was one of my favourite past times.” He grinned up at Derek as he loosely curled his fingers around his cock.”Although I did watch a video the other day ‘cause one of the guys in it looked kind of like you.”

“Not sure that’s quite the compliment you seem to think it is.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’re much, much hotter than anyone I’ve seen in porn.” Stiles smirked, leaning forward and dragging his tongue slowly up the underside of Derek’s cock. “Especially like this.”

“So what do you think about now during your other, uh, hobby.” Derek gasped, digging his fingers into the couch cushions as Stiles gently licked across his slit, moaning happily about the taste of him.

“Stop asking questions!” Stiles complained, sitting up and slapping Derek on the thigh. “I can’t exactly answer if I’ve got a mouth full of cock!  I think about you when I jerk off. Think about fucking you, about what it’ll be like when you fuck me.” He lowered his head again, his cheeks hollowing out as he took Derek’s dick in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head. Derek blushed, pleased that Stiles was too distracted to notice; Stiles’ unabashed attitude towards talking about sex still left him feeling a little uncomfortable from time to time.

“I think about you.” Derek admitted, reaching for the hand Stiles still had on his thigh and lacing their fingers together. “When I...” He trailed off, his hips bucking slightly as Stiles pulled his mouth off Derek with an obscene popping noise and looked up at him, wide eyed.

“You think about me?” Stiles asked, a slight hint of disbelief in his voice. “Really?”

“Uh huh.” Derek extend his free hand and ran it through Stiles’ hair before rubbing his thumb across his lower lip. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Um, because I’m me?” Stiles shrugged, lowering his head again to avoid Derek’s frustrated scowl. He heard Derek mutter his name and distracted him from saying anything else by swallowing down several inches of his cock and began bobbing his head enthusiastically.

Stiles only became aware that he was starting to get lost in the enjoyment of giving Derek a blow job when he heard him moan his name again sometime later, sounding wrecked as he tightened his grip on Stiles’ hand. He glanced up at Derek to see him looking down at him through half closed eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open. Stiles redoubled his efforts, wrapping his free hand around the base of Derek’s cock and started pumping it quickly as he swirled his tongue around the head. Derek’s grip on his hand tightened again, and he heard the increasingly familiar little hitch in his breath that he knew meant Derek was close. He heard Derek whisper his name again, and held eye contact with him, watching Derek’s eyes go wide as he came, his cock twitching as Stiles swallowed greedily. He only pulled away when he felt Derek start to go soft, licking once, tortuously slowly over his slit before flopping onto the couch beside him.

“I seriously wish I could do that for a living.” He commented, rubbing the sides of his jaw with his fingers as he watched Derek adjust his underwear and pull his jeans back up.

“There’s a word for people like that.” Derek rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Stiles’ shoulder, pulling him into a hug, his skin warm and slightly damp where he was pressed against Stiles’ side.

“Hilarious. Anyway, you know what I mean.”

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t.” Derek huffed, kissing Stiles on the side of the head. “Do you want me to...?” He asked, blushing slightly as he nodded towards Stiles’ crotch.

“No, it’s OK.” Stiles responded, squirming uncomfortably on the couch.

“We’ve got time...”

“I don’t want you to.” Stiles replied, twisting away before Derek could run his hand across the obvious bulge in his pants. “Not in a bad way!” He added when he saw the hurt expression on Derek’s face.

“Why not?”

“I decided I’m not going to jerk off or anything until my birthday.”

“That’s kind of weird.” Derek replied, giving him a confused frown. “Why would you do that?”

“So it’ll be even more awesome when we do finally do it.”

“You’re very strange.”

“Totally. The lack of masturbation I can probably cope with, I kind of don’t do that as much now we’re together, but damn, I’m going to miss blow jobs and your hand, and you know, sex.” Stiles said sadly, shaking his head.

“You won’t last a day.” Derek scoffed, getting to his feet and retrieving his t-shirt. “When did you come to this poorly thought out decision?”

“This afternoon, right after fifth period.”

“What happened in fifth period?”

“Oh I started thinking about coming over here and how I’d get to suck you off and it’d be awesome and did you know it’s really, really embarrassing to have Boyd text you in the middle of class to say he can smell your boner from across the hall?”

“I can only imagine.”

“So I have English sixth period with all of your horrible minions and I figured I couldn’t sit through forty minutes of disgusted looks so I went and, uh, dealt with the situation in the bathroom.”

“Seriously?” Derek wrinkled his nose in distaste and dropped Stiles’ t-shirts in his lap. “Did none of them comment on the fact that you went to class stinking of your own come?”

“Shut up. I never said it was my brightest moment. It was your stupid fault in the first place. But it was like the second time today so it was just kind of meh, so I figured if I wait until my birthday, it’ll be pretty goddamn amazing.”

“This plan isn’t going to end well, is it?” Derek asked sceptically, sitting down beside Stiles as he put his t-shirts back on and skated his hand across his thigh.

“OK, yeah, so there is a distinct possibility that it’ll end with me blowing my load in my pants just by looking at you, but I’m kind of pinning my hopes on that not happening.” Stiles sighed dramatically and got to his feet. “You wouldn’t mock me, right? If I came in my pants before you even got a hand on me?”

“Well not too much.” Derek smirked, grabbing hold of Stiles’ hips as he stood in front of him and pressing a kiss against his stomach.

“Nngh.” Stiles grunted, trying to twist out of Derek’s grip as he pushed his t-shirts up slightly and ran the flat of his tongue up one side of his belly button. “You seem to be failing grasp the concept of the plan!” Stiles complained, putting his hands on Derek’s head and pushing him away.

“I’m not breaking the terms and conditions of your stupid plan.”

“No, you’re just being a huge asshole. You can’t just go around licking me like that! That’s not cool.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Derek replied placidly, tightening his hold on Stiles’ hips. “I like your stomach, that’s all.”

“Oh shut up. Come on, let go of me, I need to go home.” Stiles sighed and scrabbled at Derek’s hands.

“Fine.” Derek huffed, letting go of Stiles and getting to his feet. “So is your plan going to get in the way of you coming over here tomorrow?”

“Oh no, I’ll still come over, just don’t expect me to be in the best mood!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t come over until your birthday then.” Derek suggested as Stiles turned towards the door, taking a step closer and slipping his arms around Stiles’ waist.

“Well now you’re just making it difficult for me to leave.” Stiles complained, stopping in his tracks and leaning back against Derek’s chest. He heard Derek laugh quietly and shivered when he pressed a kiss against the back of neck.

“Maybe I don’t want you to leave.” Derek whispered, moving one hand down Stiles’ stomach.

“You think I want to?” Stiles groused, grabbing hold of Derek’s hand before he could nudge his fingers under the waistband of his pants. “I never want to leave. I could quite happily spend the rest of my life in this stupid little apartment. Then we could be naked, all the time.”

“Rest of your life, huh?” Derek asked, tugging gently at the neck of Stiles’ t-shirt to expose more of his neck.

“Um.” Stiles shuffled uncomfortably, trying to take another step towards the door. Derek tightened his grip, holding him in place. “Figure of speech?”

“Sure about that?”

“I wasn’t trying to freak you out or anything.” Stiles replied, ducking away from Derek and his scratchy stubble. “I just...” He paused, glaring down at the floor. “I just opened my big mouth and out spilled stupid, OK?”

“You didn’t freak me out. Is that what you want?”

“For you not to freak out? Well, yeah. I always want you to not freak out. You freaking out? Not a good thing.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.” Stiles admitted, entwining his fingers with Derek’s.

“Want me to pretend you didn’t say it?” Derek asked softly, mouthing at the back of Stiles’ neck.

“Um, yeah.” Stiles nodded and gave Derek’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Derek replied, sounding a little sad as he pulled away from Stiles and stepped around him to open the door. Stiles pecked him briefly on the lips and sauntered out onto the steps.

“Hey Derek?”

“What?” Derek watched as Stiles paused, picking at the peeling paint of the railing, apparently unwilling to turn around.

“I think I might have meant that. What I said.” Before Derek could reply, Stiles was bounding down the stairs and into the darkness, waving casually over his shoulder as he disappeared from view.

 


	52. Chapter 52

“Stiles!”

“Stiles isn’t here.” He mumbled into his pillow as his dad stepped into his room. “Please try again later.” He screwed his eyes tightly shut as his dad yanked the blinds open. “Why are you torturing me?”

“Because it’s your birthday.” His dad replied, sitting down on the end of the bed and patting his feet through the comforter. “And it’s after ten already. Just because you’re not in school doesn’t mean you get to wallow in bed all day.”

“I like bed. Wallowing in bed can be my birthday present.”

“So I can take your other presents back to the store?”

“Ugh, let’s not be hasty.” Stiles sat up, fighting the comforter every step of the way. “Do I have to get out of bed?”

“Yes. I’m working this afternoon so I won’t see you until tomorrow if you don’t get up now.”

“You could bring presents up to me...” Stiles suggested, grinning.

“Or you could get up. I made chocolate chip waffles.”

“Well that’s my arm sufficiently twisted!” Stiles got out of bed, pausing to pull a hoodie on over his pyjamas before heading down to the kitchen.

True to his word, his dad had made chocolate chip waffles and Stiles grabbed one of f the pile, shoving it in his mouth as he wandered around making himself what Derek would probably refer to as an obnoxiously over-sugared cup of coffee.

“Here.” His dad sighed, holding out a plate and giving him a gentle shove towards the table. Stiles grumbled around his mouthful of waffle but sat down anyway, snagging another waffle and drowning it in chocolate syrup.

“Why can’t we have waffles every day?” He asked between bites. “Waffles are awesome.”

“Because I don’t deserve a lecture over breakfast every morning.” His dad laughed, setting down a small pile of gifts and cards beside him. “What are you doing with your friends tonight?”

“Hanging out at Derek’s.” Stiles replied, tearing open an envelope and examining the card inside. “Ooh, Baba’s sent me a whole five dollars!” He grinned, flapping the bill at his dad.

“It’s the thought that counts.”

Stiles ignored him, opening the other envelopes and shaking out the contents of the cards before stacking them in a neat pile next to his plate. He’d amassed a grand total of $105 which he was feeling fairly pleased with.

“These all from you?” He asked, prodding at the wrapped presents beside him. His dad nodded, smiling as he carelessly ripped them open.

“Leave the tags on that.” His dad suggested as Stiles shook out the “Stark Industries” t-shirt he’d been nagging about for weeks. “In case it doesn’t fit you and I need to return it.” He’d cautiously asked his dad to order him a medium instead of his usual baggy large, enjoying the response he’d gotten from Derek when he wore t-shirts that fit him properly. He didn’t dwell on that thought for too long, feeling a little pathetic for changing the habit of a lifetime on the basis of what Derek happened to like.

The other packages contained a couple of older Xbox games he’d asked for and he was busy reading the back of one of the cases when his dad pointedly pushed another present in front of him.

“What’s that?” He asked, shaking the box and hearing an unfamiliar rattling sound.

“Just open it.”

“Um, dad?” Stiles asked as he tore off the gift wrap to reveal a box of condoms. He blushed furiously and waved the box at his dad. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I know you’ll deny anything if I ask you outright if you and Derek are doing anything, but I’m not as daft as you seem to think.”

Stiles kept quiet, wedging his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie and thinking how unfortunate it would be if he died of embarrassment before he got to enjoy the rest of his birthday.

“Don’t look at me like that.” His dad chided when Stiles frowned at him. “I’m not trying to embarrass you and I’m not condoning you and Derek sleeping together either, but I’d rather know that you’re at least going to be safe if you do decide to.”

“We’re not....I’m...I’m not old enough.” Stiles managed, glaring at the remains of his waffle, which he now had no intentions of finishing.

“Nice try Stiles, but you and I both know that you’ll do whatever you want, legal or otherwise.”

“Would not.”

“Look, just promise me you’ll be safe.” His dad sighed, taking a long sip of coffee. “And then we can stop talking about this and you can stop pulling ridiculous faces.”

“Fine. I promise. I promise I won’t let Derek knock me up.” Stiles replied sarcastically, folding his arms. “Are you going to stop saying horrifying words now?”

“Stiles, I haven’t said anything horrifying. Stop being dramatic.” His dad rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. “I need to leave soon. You want a ride to Derek’s?”

“Yes please. In silence, for preference.” Stiles replied hastily, ignoring his dad’s sigh. “Have I got time to shower?”

“Just hurry up.”

Stiles nodded, rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairs, taking his pile of gifts with him.

By the time he was showered and dressed, with a few extra minutes to have a minor panic about the tight fitted-ness of his new t-shirt, it was nearly noon, which meant his dad was nearly late for work. He grabbed his school bag, shoving his laptop and a few other essentials in it and scuttled out to his dad’s truck before he could fall victim to another talking to.

“You look like a rabbit caught in someone’s headlights.” His dad commented as he climbed into the driver’s seat of his truck. “What’s the matter now?”

“Nothing!” Stiles replied too quickly, pulling his phone out of his pocket and texting Derek to let him know he was on his way over.

“So should I expect you home tonight or are you staying at Scott’s?”

“I’ll probably crash at Scott’s. That’s OK, right?”

“Sure. As long as it’s OK with Melissa. Want me to call her and check?”

“No! No, Scott already asked. It’s fine.”

“Well just make sure you do stay at Scott’s. Don’t think you can get away with staying at Derek’s just because it’s your birthday.”

“What if everyone else is there? And we all just crash there?”

“Still no.”

“What about...”

“Stiles, there’s no circumstances under which I’m going to be OK with you staying at Derek’s. You can either come home tonight or you can stay at Scott’s.” His dad glanced over at him and frowned. “And don’t think I won’t check that you’re there.”

“Fine.” Stiles pouted, putting his feet up on the dash and scowling. “But you’re being kind of contradictory, you know. You can’t give me condoms for my birthday then forbid me from staying at Derek’s; that doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense.”

“ Yes, well, I’m your father. I don’t have to make sense. You just have to do as you’re told.”

“Tyrant.” Stiles scowled, picking at a hole in the knee of his jeans. “You’re just assuming that if I stay at Derek’s it’s because we’re going to have sex. What if I just want to stay there because I love him and want to sleep in the same bed as him?”

“Again, still no.”

“This is the worst birthday ever.”

“You’ll live.” His dad frowned over at him, looking pointedly from his face to his shoes until Stiles took his feet down. “You can try and argue it however you want, but you’re not going to convince me that it’s OK for you to stay overnight in an apartment with your much older boyfriend.”

“You know, I don’t have to stay overnight for me and Derek...”

“If you finish that sentence, I’ll bring you to the station with me.” His dad scowled. “And you can spend your birthday sitting in my office instead.”

“Fine.” Stiles folded his arms as they turned onto Derek’s block. He fell silent, aware that they were close enough for Derek to be able to hear them if he chose to listen in. “You can just let me out here.” He added as they neared the apartment; he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the fact that his dad knew where Derek lived.

“Have a good time then.” His dad smiled, pulling over to the side of the road and putting the truck in park. “And don’t forget, home or Scott’s tonight or you can consider yourself grounded.”

“Life ruiner.” Stiles mumbled as he got out of the car, hefting his back pack onto one shoulder. He was appalled to see his dad grin and mutter ‘that’s me!” as he shut the car door; he stood gawping at the truck as his dad pulled away, waving at him through the window as he disappeared down the block. Since when was it acceptable for his dad to make jokes about effectively cock blocking him?

**. o o o .**

“What’s that?” Derek asked, frowning at the box Stiles had slammed down on his coffee table.

“Ugh, I know I like to joke that you have no awareness of the real world, but seriously? It’s condoms, Derek.”

“You bought condoms? I thought you didn’t like...”

“I don’t! I didn’t buy them! They’re a birthday present.” He huffed angrily, throwing himself down on the couch beside Derek. “From my dad.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Big oh.

“Why is your dad giving you condoms for your birthday?”

“Because he’s not stupid? He either knows we’re already having sex or thinks we’re about to. I don’t want my dad knowing we’re having sex!” Stiles wailed, putting his feet up on the coffee table and kicking the offending box away from him. “He did his stupid serious eyebrows and made me promise we’d be ‘safe’ and stuff.”

“That doesn’t sound that bad...”

“Look, I’m not even going to get into it. It should be illegal to experience that level of humiliation on your birthday!” He groaned loudly and flopped against Derek’s shoulder. Derek sat stiffly for a few moments, only putting his arm around Stiles when he grumbled and prodded him in the ribs. “You didn’t even say happy birthday to me, you know.”

“Because you rushed in here and started squawking about condoms and didn’t give me the chance.” Derek huffed. “Happy birthday.” He leant over and kissed Stiles on the forehead.

“Please tell me you got me better presents than condoms?” Stiles laughed, patting Derek on the stomach.

“That’s not all your dad gave you, is it?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.

“God no. Bunch of Xbox games and this.” He pulled his hoodie up to show Derek the new t-shirt he was wearing. “It’s possible that I’ve kind of made a big deal about the condoms.”

“You, making a big deal about nothing?” Derek scoffed, running his hand up and down Stiles’ back as he leant forward to grab his phone from the coffee table.

“Oh shut up. Come on, what did you get me?”

“Patience is a virtue you know.” Derek commented as he got up and walked to his bedroom, grabbing a brown paper bag, the kind Stiles normally associated with groceries, not gifts. “If it’s wrong, I can get you something else.” Derek mumbled, dropping the bag in Stiles’ lap. “It’s been a while since I’ve had to buy a gift for anyone.”

Stiles looked up at him, putting the bag down on the floor beside the couch and getting to his feet so he could throw his arms around Derek, burying his head against his shoulder. Derek slid his hands up Stiles’ back, holding him tightly as he pressed his nose against his neck and inhaled deeply.

“I’m OK, Stiles.” Derek said quietly.

“So stop sniffing me.” Stiles told him, his words muffled.

“No. I like the way you smell.” Derek replied, taking another deep breath before disentangling himself from Stiles and pushing him gently until he fell back down on the couch. “Just look at your gift, OK?”

Stiles grinned at him and grabbed for the bag again, pulling it open to reveal what appeared to be a homemade envelope on top of a lumpy parcel. Stiles opened the envelope carefully, laughing gleefully as he examined the hand drawn card Derek had given him.

“You seriously drew this yourself?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s just a drawing.” Derek shrugged self-consciously.

“It’s the kid out of _Where the Wild Things Are_ , right?” Stiles asked, running his fingers lightly across the picture. “It’s amazing.”

“It’s OK.” Derek shrugged again, reaching for the bag and tipping out the lumpy, and now he looked at it, not too well wrapped gift onto Stiles’ lap. “Reminds me of you. Wandering around the woods and being a pain in my ass.”

“You’re not allowed to be mean to me on my birthday you know.” Stiles pouted, picking at the excessive sticky tape. “Do you even know how to wrap gifts?” He asked, looking up and holding the parcel out to Derek. Derek snatched it from him, ripping open the paper and throwing it back to Stiles.

“A leather jacket?” He asked, raising his eyebrows as he shook it out into his lap. “Aren’t leather jackets for your wolfettes? Is this your way of saying you’re going to bite me?” Derek growled softly at him and sat down on the coffee table.

“I’m not going to bite you, idiot. And for the millionth time, they chose to get leather jackets. That was nothing to do with me.”

“This is yours.” Stiles commented, turning the jacket over in his hands. “The one you were wearing that night at the school...”

“Yeah. It’s been repaired though.” Derek said, pointing several rows of almost imperceptible stitches from where Peter’s claws had shredded the leather, and Derek, so many months ago. “It’s OK if you don’t want it.”

“Are you kidding? This is my favourite of all your jackets. This jacket made my stupid crush on you a good 37% worse! Why are you giving it to me?”

“Doesn’t fit me anymore.” Derek shrugged, watching as Stiles got off the couch and hurriedly pulled off his hoodie so he could try the jacket on.

“Fucking awesome.” Stiles grinned, admiring the way the sleeves of the jacket fell over his hands. He wasn’t going to think too much about how it was just slightly too loose on his shoulders; no one could ever accuse him of being as built as Derek. “So does it look OK?” He asked, glancing at Derek. “I mean, obviously it’s not going to look as good on me as it did on you, but, yeah.”

“You look good.” Derek smiled shyly as Stiles sat down again, reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together.

“I probably look slightly better than normal.” Stiles shrugged uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t go as far as good.”

“Shut up.” Derek chided, lifting Stiles’ hand to his mouth and kissing his knuckles. “Why do you have to keep putting yourself down?”

“I’ve seen me?” Stiles laughed awkwardly, pulling his jacket open slightly with his free hand and sniffing the soft leather. “Is this part of your make me smell like you plan? Still trying to mark your territory?”

“I think everyone knows I’m yours by now.” Derek replied quietly, staring down at the floor.

“More like I’m yours. You know Isaac changed my name in his phone to ‘Derek’s Pet’, right?”

“Stop being negative about yourself.” Derek interrupted, moving from the coffee table to the couch and pulling Stiles close so he could kiss him.

“Hey, remember my other birthday request? About you topping?” Stiles asked when they broke apart, his lips barely brushing against Derek’s own. “Have you had any more thoughts about that?”

“Maybe.”

“And?”

“And I’ll tell you later.” Derek smiled, cupping his hand around the back of Stiles’ head and kissing him urgently.

“God, you’re so mean to me.” Stiles managed to grumble before Derek lay back, yanking Stiles down on top of him, his hands fisted in the supple leather of Stiles’ jacket to keep him close. Stiles hummed happily against Derek’s lips, feeling amused by the knowledge that they were undoubtedly filling the apartment with the scent of arousal which was guaranteed to draw complaints from the pack later. Somehow, as Derek’s teeth grazed his neck, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

 


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that's left comments & kudos...I loves you all! C: x

Derek regretted agreeing to the pack coming over to his apartment almost as soon as they stepped in the door. At Stiles’ insistence, he’d gone and bought a rug because there were only so many times he could stand listening to Stiles tell him that it would be rude to make people sit on bare floorboards.

“Seriously Derek, do you have some kind of aversion to carpets and generally acceptable living standards?” Erica asked, peering into his bedroom and pulling a face. He scowled at her from his position in the kitchen, annoyed by how much she sounded like Laura.

“It’s better than the train depot.” Isaac pointed out, flopping down on one of the couches. “Even if it does smell like they’ve been fucking in here.”

“Be nice.” Stiles chided from the kitchen area, where he was helping himself to Derek’s supply of beer. “Or he’ll make you all go away and then I’ll have to smoke all this on my own.” He pulled a large bag of weed from his pocket and put it down on the counter.

“What’s that?” Erica asked, stalking across the room to where Stiles stood and snatching the bag off the counter, pulling it open so she could sniff at the contents.

“Seriously?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Even he heard the snort of laughter that Isaac tried to stifle. “What alternate universe did you grow up in? It’s weed, you loser.”

“One where I wasn’t allowed to go to parties in case I had a fit and died. I didn’t get much of a chance to go out and smoke pot.” Erica snapped, her cheeks flushing. “Does this even work on us?”

“Yes.”

“How would you know? You’re not a wolf.”

“Derek, tell her.” Stiles yawned, twisting the cap off his bottle of beer and throwing it towards the sink. “Tell her how I’m all kinds of right.”

“It will affect you.” Derek muttered, taking the beer Stiles was holding out to him. “I don’t know why it does, but it will.”

“You don’t have to smoke it if you don’t want to.” Stiles shrugged, wandering away to sit on the couch next to Boyd, tuning out the sound of Erica quizzing Derek incessantly.

“So where’s Scott?” He asked, turning towards Isaac who was busy hooking Stiles’ laptop up to the television.

“He was having some existential crisis when I left. Because Allison was being weird about coming over here.”

“And Scott can’t do anything by himself.” Stiles grumbled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “He’s a terrible, terrible friend.”

“You don’t do anything without Derek these days.” Boyd pointed out. “So you can’t complain too much.”

“Boyd, it’s my birthday. You’re meant to be on my side.”

“I’m not on anyone’s side. There aren’t sides here.” He smiled at Stiles and plucked the bottle of beer from his hand. “Thanks man.”

“Hey! I was drinking that!”

“Now I’m drinking it.” Boyd laughed.

“You suck.” Stiles pouted, folding his arms across his chest and flopping back against the couch cushions.

“You know what does suck?” Isaac asked, looking up from the laptop. “Your Spotify playlist and the  fact that there’s no WiFi here.”

“You mean it’s not full of crap like Coldplay?” Stiles grinned, digging in his pocket for his phone and tossing it to Isaac. “And voila, internet.”

“Derek, you really should get internet if you’re going to let us hang out here.” Isaac commented as he connected Stiles’ phone to the laptop.

“I’m not letting you hang out here. This is a one off.” Derek replied, leaning on the back of the couch and scowling at Isaac, who was still messing around with Stiles’ phone. “And stop reading Stiles’ messages.”

Stiles opened his mouth to bitch at Isaac but was distracted by a knock on the door. Derek growled softly at Isaac, who grudgingly dropped the phone to the floor and busied himself making snide remarks about Stiles’ taste in music.

“It’s open.” Derek muttered over his shoulder as there was another knock on the door.

“Scott!” Stiles squealed, flailing his way off the couch as Scott and Allison entered the apartment and stood awkwardly just inside the door. “You came!”

“Uh, yeah.” Scott replied, trying, and failing, to fend off Stiles’ hug. “Only if Allison’s dad asks, we weren’t here.”

“He doesn’t want me...” Allison started, glancing quickly at Derek before falling silent.

“He doesn’t want you hanging out with me?” Derek asked, scowling.

“Something like that.” Allison replied hesitantly, hugging her jacket tightly around herself. “Sorry.”

“It’s OK.”

Stiles glared from Allison to the rest of the pack, who had resumed their pre-squeal conversations.

“No, it’s not. It’s not OK that you’re OK with people not being OK with you.” Stiles complained, poking Derek in the chest.

“Yes, it is.” Derek replied shortly, putting one hand on Stiles’ shoulder and steering him towards the couch. “Just leave it.”

“But...”

“No.” Derek slid his other hand over Stiles’ mouth to stop him talking, pulling him back against his chest. Stiles scowled slightly at being silenced before quickly settling for preening; Derek was essentially hugging him in front of his pack, which given his aversion to public displays of affection was a rare event.

“Sit.” Derek whispered, pressing up against Stiles’ back before pushing him onto the couch and taking a seat beside him. He took Stiles’ hand, twisting their fingers together and gave him a quick smile. “And be quiet.”

Stiles pouted for a moment, watching as Isaac and Scott argued over his laptop and who was going to be in charge of picking music. Allison appeared to notice his discomfort, leaning over and dropping a gift bag into his lap with a small smile before perching awkwardly on the edge of the other couch.

“It’s from me and Scott.” She smiled as Stiles dug into the bag, pulling out a white hat.

“What’s...” Stiles started, turning it over to look at the label.

“It’s a Finn hat!” Scott grinned, getting up from the floor and snatching the hat from Stiles’ hands so he could force it onto his head.

“He made me go in Hot Topic for him to get it.” Allison added, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket to hide a smile as Scott took a photo of Stiles with his phone.

“You do realise that if I’m Finn, you’re Jake, right?” Stiles asked, fastening the Velcro beneath his chin and grinning hugely.

“Dude, dog jokes aren’t cool!” Scott complained, taking a seat beside Allison, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder. Stiles shot him a guilty looking smile before settling back beside Derek, watching as he rolled a joint, curling up against him when he finally finished. For once, Stiles was content to just sit and listen as the conversation flowed around them; he was vaguely aware that Allison and Boyd were awkwardly discussing how Jackson had come back to town three days ago but didn’t really care to listen to their speculations as to why he hadn’t spoken to anyone in the pack. He was too busy focusing on the fact that Derek’s fingers were entwined with his once more, gently stroking the back of his hand with his thumb.  

**. o o o .**

It turned out that once she’d got the hang of smoking, Erica, in classic Erica style, went over the top, trying to prove that whatever the rest of the pack could do, she could do better. Within a few hours she was a giggly mess, flopping about on the couch with Stiles, who at least had the excuse of having had several bottles of beer as well as the weed. They were ignoring the rest of the pack, sniggering and whispering together.

“E!” Stiles exclaimed in what he seemingly thought was a hushed whisper. “E, I don’t want to be Batman anymore!”

“Huh?” 

“I don’t wanna be Batman. Wanna be Deadpool.”

“You don’t want to be Iron Man?” Erica asked poking him in the chest. Stiles looked down at his t-shirt for a moment then shook his head.

“Nope, Deadpool.”

“You’re not cool enough to be Deadpool.” Erica replied drowsily, resting her head on Stiles’ shoulder. “Maybe you should be Jubilee...” They both dissolved into fits of giggles as Erica passed the joint to Stiles and pecked him on the check. “’Cause Deaton thinks you’ve got a spark!”

“I’d make an awesome Deadpool. I’m sassy.”

“You’re not sassy. You’re a dick.”

“And you’re a bitch.”

“I liked Deadpool when he was Ryan Reynolds.” Erica mused, pulling her hair over her shoulder so she could braid it.

“That was a terrible movie and we should never speak it’s name.” Stiles complained, glancing up to see Derek watching him, a hint of an amused smile on his face.

“Hey Stiles,” She whispered. “Derek’s doing that thing.” She gestured towards where Derek stood leaning against the kitchen counter, talking quietly with Boyd and Isaac.

“Thing?”

“That thing where he looks at you like he loves you.”

“Derek does love me.” Stiles grinned, looking over at Derek again. “Derek thinks I’m cool enough to be Deadpool.”

“Derek doesn’t think you’re cool at all.” Derek replied. “Derek thinks you’re a dork.”

“But Derek loves me?” Stiles asked, sitting up and pushing Erica away from his shoulder.

“For now.” Derek murmured, cocking an eyebrow.

“See?” Stiles crowed, holding his hand up for a high five. “Derek loves me.”

Erica ignored his hand, slouching down on the couch so she could put her feet up on the coffee table.

“Aww, are you jealous, E? ‘Cause Boyd doesn’t look at you like that?” Stiles goaded, poking Erica in the ribs.

“Fuck off.” Erica mumbled, hunching her shoulders over. Stiles glanced from her angry face to Boyd, who was glaring at them from the other side of the room, looking as though he’d completely checked out of the conversation with Derek and Isaac.

“Want to go for a walk?” He asked, leaning close to Erica and putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and nodded, twisting around the grab her coat from the back of the couch. Stiles glanced over at Derek who shrugged, shooting him a small smile and mouthing ‘be careful’. He returned the smile and went to retrieve his new jacket from Derek’s bedroom.

“Come on.” He leant over the back of the couch and patted Erica on the shoulder; as they left the apartment, he noticed that she didn’t look at the others once.

“Hey Stiles?” Scott asked as Erica pulled the door open. “If I’m not here when you get back, it’s ‘cause I’m taking Allison home. But I’ll probably come back.” He glanced at Derek. “If that’s OK?”

Stiles didn’t wait to see Derek’s response, slipping out into the cold night air behind Erica.

“Ugh, is that Derek’s jacket you’re wearing?” She asked, sniffing him surreptitiously  as they walked down the stairs. “You two are disgusting.”

“It’s my birthday present from him.” Stiles grinned, linking one arm through Erica’s and wedging his free hand in his pocket. After a few minute’s walk, Erica dragged him into a darkened alleyway, leaning against the wall. “So can they still hear us, or are we good to talk now?”

“Good, I guess.” Erica shrugged.

“So what’s the matter?” Stiles asked, using his phone as a flashlight and examining the ground, sitting down once he was satisfied there was nothing gross there. “I’m guessing I struck a nerve, right?”

“Me  and Boyd aren’t getting on all that great right now.”

“I thought you guys were tight again?”

“So did I. I just...he’s still talking about going to Columbia.”

“And? So what if he goes to school in New York? You guys don’t have to split up over it.”

“Long distance relationships never work.” Erica huffed, sliding down the wall to sit opposite Stiles. “My sister said so.”

“Has your sister ever actually had a long distance relationship?”

“No, but...”

“So what does she know? Anyway, Boyd might not go to Columbia. College is still a long ways off, you might be worrying over nothing.”

“Don’t tell me you’re not stressing about it. About going away and leaving Derek behind.”

“I’m not. I mean, I did for a bit, but I’m fine with it now.”

“Yeah, but you’re not going as far away as New York, I bet.” Erica sighed, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Well, no, I’ll probably go somewhere closer to home, but that’s not the point. If it’s meant to work, you guys will make it work. Why do you care so much about him leaving town?”

“Because he said he wouldn’t. When we ran away, right before summer vacation, he said he wouldn’t leave me. But if he goes to Columbia, he’ll be leaving me.”

“Erica, he’s allowed to go to college. Look, I pretty much know jack shit about relationships, considering Derek is my first ever, but if you try and make him stay in town if he doesn’t want to, it’s going to mess things up between you even more.”

“Stop trying to be wise.” Erica complained. “I’m not trying to be all irrational; I know it’d be good for him to go to Columbia if he’s got a chance of getting in. I just don’t want to lose him.”

To Stiles’ horror, he heard Erica start to sob quietly, hiding her face against her knees. Stiles crawled across the small gap between them to sit beside her, pushing her hair to one side so he could put his arm around her shoulders.

“Have you ever actually told Boyd this?” He asked gently. “Like properly told him how it bugs you instead of just arguing with him?”

“I tried to but he just sits there all zen and stuff it about, saying that whatever happens will happen.”

“Maybe he’s right.” Stiles suggested tentatively. He heard Erica scoff as she tried to shrug his arm off her shoulders. “Look, I’m not siding with him before you say that. I’m just saying, arguing with him clearly isn’t making either of you happy.”

“I don’t like you like this you know.” She laughed drily. “You’ve really got no right being all right about stuff. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Deal with it.” Stiles grinned, squeezing her tightly. “Want to go back to the apartment? We can sit on the couch and judge people from school if you want?”

“In a minute?” Erica asked, patting him on the knee. “Can we just hang out here for a little bit longer? Just so they don’t realise I’ve been crying when we get back?”

“If that’s what you want, yeah.”

“Thanks.” Erica smiled, dropping her head onto his shoulder. “I like being friends with you, you know. It’s better than having a crush on you.”

“I like that you don’t spend every waking minute making jokes about my sex life anymore.” Stiles shrugged.

“You don’t go all purple and angry about it anymore.”

“I _never_ went purple.”

“You totally did.” She turned her head to grin up at him. “You can be my gay best friend!”

“I’m not gay.” Stiles huffed, pushing her away and scowling at her.

“Bestest bisexual buddy?”

“That’s slightly better. Can we go back yet? I think my ass is starting to freeze.”

“So get Derek to warm it up for you later.” Erica snorted. “Hey, is Derek gay?”

“Hey, you just rhymed.” Stiles deflected as he stood up.

“Well, is he?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” He asked, holding his hand out to Erica to help her up.

“Because you’re sleeping with him? Who else asked you?”

“Scott. And  I don’t know, I’ve never asked him. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Scott, all I’m bothered about is that we’re into each other. If he wants to tell me if he’s gay, or bi or whatever he can do, but I’m not going to force him to tell me.”

“You two are weird.” Erica replied, screwing up her nose as she brushed dirt from her pants.

“Not really. Did you ask Boyd if he was straight before you guys got together?”

“Well, no, but...”

“So why do I have to ask Derek what he is? He didn’t ask me.”

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Erica huffed. “I was just asking!”

“Yeah, well. Don’t.”

“Maybe I’ll just ask Derek myself...” She grinned as they started back towards the apartment.

“Maybe he’ll break your arm.” Stiles muttered darkly. “Just leave it, OK? If he wanted people to know, he’d tell them.”

“I’m pretty sure he can defend himself, Stiles.”

“Shut up. I’m just...”

“Yeah, just saying. Got it. Come on, let’s get back before they think we’ve been axed murdered by one of his skeezy neighbours.” Erica laughed, linking her arm through Stiles’ and dragging him back up the street.

 


	54. Chapter 54

“Oh god, I think something died in my mouth.” Stiles complained into the pillow, pulling a blanket up over his head. He heard Derek’s snort of laughter and was about to complain when he felt the heavy warmth of Derek’s hand between his shoulder blades. “Why’d you let me drink so much?”

“Let you?” Derek asked softly, twitching the blanket aside, moving his hand up to stroke the back of Stiles’ neck. “I’m not sure I had any say in the matter.”

“Well you should have alpha-ed at me. My brain hurts now.”

“That’s your own fault.” Derek replied, leaning over and gently pressing a kiss against Stiles’ hair. “I tried to take a bottle of beer from you at one point but you growled at me.”

“Was I being a dick?”

“Little bit.” Derek conceded, dragging his hand through Stiles’ hair a few times and smiling when he moaned before curling his hand around the back of his head.

“Sorry.” Stiles mumbled, shuffling closer to Derek and raising his head slightly to smile at him. “Did you just do your magical taking away pain trick on my hangover?”

“Maybe.”

“Mm. Love you.”

“Because I took your headache away?”

“For so many reasons.” Stiles laughed drowsily. “Of which, yes, that is one.”

“Can you stay a while or do you have to go home?” Derek asked, dipping his head to plant kisses across Stiles’ shoulder.

“Don’t know.” Stiles shrugged. “I kind of wasn’t supposed to stay here last night, I was meant to go home or go to Scott’s, so I’m probably in a fuckton of trouble if my dad’s found that out.”

“So?”

“So I might as well just stay. The trouble can’t get any worse, right?” Stiles smiled up at him again and stretched languidly. “Can I use your crappy shower?”

“Sure.”

Stiles grinned happily, pressing a kiss against Derek’s cheek and complaining about morning breath and turning away before Derek could kiss him properly. He rolled off the bed, scratching his stomach as he walked out of the room. Derek curled up under the blankets, burying his face in Stiles’ pillow and smiling to himself as he listened to the tuneless singing floating through from the bathroom.

“I feel slightly more human now.” Stiles announced as he re-appeared in the bedroom doorway a few minutes later, a towel wrapped round his waist and his damp hair plastered to his head. He crossed the room, pulling open the wardrobe and yanking out a pair of sweats from the pile of poorly folded clothes at the bottom. “Can I borrow these? Only it’s kind of fucking freezing in your unheated apartment.”

“Help yourself.” Derek muttered, propping himself up on his elbow and watching Stiles openly as he pulled on the sweats. Stiles pulled the drawstring tight to stop the pants falling off his hips and bent down to pick up his jeans from the floor, pulling out his phone. He started scrolling through his messages as he huddled back under the blankets, wedging his cold feet between Derek’s bare legs and tutting as he read a text from Erica.

“Ooh, Scott text me earlier.” Stiles commented, scrolling through another message. “Listen to this – ‘your dad phoned last night after I got back, got my mom to lie about where you were ‘cause I figured you weren’t meant to be staying at Derek’s. Consider it an extra birthday present but please spare me all the gory details!’. Scott’s the awesomest.”

“Does Scott normally get all the details when I stay at yours?” Derek asked apprehensively, wrapping his arm around Stiles’ waist.

“No! Well, just one time. But only ‘cause I was sort of bragging about not being a virgin anymore.” Stiles admitted, biting his bottom lip. “Um. That’s OK, right? That I told him?”

“Not a lot I can do about it now.” Derek complained, burying his face against Stiles’ shoulder.

“I didn’t tell him the specifics or anything. Just that we’d had sex.”

“Specifics?”

“You know exactly what I mean, don’t pretend that you don’t.”

“Good.”

“I figured you wouldn’t want them all knowing that sort of stuff about you. ‘Cause I guarantee Scott would have told Isaac. Didn’t want to hurt your alpha image and all that.”

“You can stop talking about this anytime you like.” Derek muttered.

“Fine. But while we’re sort of dancing around _that_ subject, have you thought anymore about, you know, what I asked last week? The birthday present sex thing?”

“Maybe.”

“Dude, don’t maybe me. You know I can’t cope with maybes.”

Derek sighed, pulling Stiles closer and kissing his shoulder. “I like when you wear my clothes.”

“Way to change the subject.” Stiles laughed, rolling onto his side and pressing a lazy kiss against Derek’s lips. “So have you? Thought about it?”

“Yes.”

“Well?”

“Thought about it a lot.” Derek whispered, slipping his fingers under the waistband of the sweats Stiles was wearing and kissing him gently.

“And? Do you want to?” Stiles moved away slightly, the tip of his nose just brushing Derek’s as he watched him nervously. Derek paused, his gaze downcast as he stroked his thumb across Stiles’ hip. After what felt like an age to Stiles, Derek gave an almost imperceptible nod, closing the gap between them until he could graze his lips across Stiles’.

“Yes.” Derek murmured, moving his hand from Stiles’ hip to his arm, holding it in place. “But if you use the word awesome right now, I’ll kick you out.”

“Duly noted.” Stiles laughed quietly, letting Derek pull him into a greedy kiss, burying his hands in Derek’s hair as he slipped his tongue into his mouth. Derek whined softly as Stiles pulled on his hair, nipping at his bottom lip before mouthing his way across his jaw and down his neck, sucking and licking at a spot low down on his throat where his t-shirt would hide the mark.

“So how’s your plan working out for you?” Derek smirked when he finally broke off to catch his breath, hooking one finger under the waistband of Stiles’ sweats and running it across his stomach.

“Shut up. It was a terrible plan. Remind me never to go a week without masturbating again.” Stiles complained, biting his lip and moaning as Derek’s hand dipped lower.

“I told you it was a bad idea.”

“You think all my ideas are bad. It’s hard to tell when you’re making a valid point.”

“So you really lasted all week?” Derek asked, pulling his hand out of Stiles’ pants and brushing his hand lightly across his stomach and ribs.

Yes. It’s been horrible. My balls literally feel like they’re going to explode.” Stiles huffed, grabbing hold of Derek’s hand and trying to force it back into his sweats. “You’re being very mean to me, you know.”

“Maybe.” Derek smirked at him and lowered his head, dragging his tongue slowly across Stiles’ chest before biting gently at his nipple.

“Hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“You’re making me hate you.”

“No I’m not.”

“Want a bet?” Stiles whined, lifting his hips off the bed slightly.

“I’m remembering a conversation from last week.” Derek said softly, resting his hand on Stiles’ abdomen and rubbing his thumb along his appendectomy scar. “Something about how you were worried that you were going to, what was it, ‘blow your load in your pants’ I think you said.”

“You’re not supposed to remember stuff like that and use it against me. It’s cruel.”

“You’re wearing my sweats. I’m not doing laundry just because you can’t control yourself.”

“I can totally control myself!” Stiles sounded affronted. “I’ve done the whole controlling myself all week!”

“Thought you might want to wait until...you know.” Derek murmured, a faint hint of a blush colouring his cheeks.

“Until you’re fucking me?” Stiles grinned, feeling pleased with himself when Derek’s blush deepened. “How are you still embarrassed by me talking about sex stuff?”

“Shut up.”

“Would you rather I’d said until you’re making love to me?”

“Shut up.” Derek huffed again, biting Stiles playfully on the shoulder. “You don’t need to be a jerk about it.”

“You’re the jerk.” Stiles grumbled. Derek scowled at him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him, tightening his hold on Stiles’ hip, his fingers pressing just hard enough that Stiles knew he’d have bruises to show for it tomorrow. “I do though.” Stiles whispered around Derek’s kiss. “I do want to wait until you’re, you know, in me.”

Derek made an odd noise in his throat, letting go of Stiles and tugging at the waistband of his sweatpants.

“Did you just growl at me?” Stiles laughed incredulously, lifting his hips off the bed so Derek could pull off his sweats.

“No.”

“You did! You totally growled!”

“Shut up.” Derek replied gruffly, leaning up to give Stiles a quick kiss before shucking off his boxers.

“I like it when you growl.” Stiles continued as though Derek hadn’t spoken, stroking the  back of Derek’s neck idly as he curled up against him, resting his head on Stiles’ shoulder.

“I like it when you’re quiet.”

“No you don’t.” Stiles smiled as Derek tightened his arm around his stomach. “You like it when I don’t shut up.”

Derek scowled at him and kissed him roughly, all stubble burn and fingers digging into Stiles’ skin in a bid to silence him. “I like when you’re like this.” He murmured, rubbing his jaw against Stiles’ cheek.

“Know what I will like?” Stiles asked mischievously, pressing up against Derek. “I’m pretty sure I’ll like it when you’re topping.” Derek frowned at him for a moment before flashing him a quick smile and giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

 “Turn on your side.” Derek asked quietly, poking around on the chair that served as his bedside table until he found the half empty bottle of lube. Stiles smiled at him and did as he was told, shuffling closer to Derek. He lifted his head off the pillow slightly so Derek could slide one arm underneath his neck, his fingers splaying across his chest. He heard the pop of the cap and shivered in anticipation as behind him, Derek rubbed his fingers together to warm the lube up.

Derek moved closer to Stiles, licking up the back his neck to distract him as he started making little grumbling noises about ‘taking too long’. Stiles tilted his head to expose his neck further, moaning as Derek mouthed gently at the juncture of his shoulder and neck; Derek smiled against Stiles’ skin, circling his entrance lightly with his fingertip when he was sure Stiles was completely distracted. As Stiles’ moans became more urgent, Derek bit down on his shoulder, slowly pushing one finger into him at the same time.

“That was a sneaky little trick.” Stiles sighed, pushing back against Derek’s finger as he reached one arm behind himself so he could trail his fingers over Derek’s ribs.

“You complaining?” Derek asked quietly.

Stiles shook his head, muttering and cursing under his breath as Derek worked another finger inside him. Stiles raised his hand to entwine his fingers with Derek’s, keeping his other hand on Derek’s hip, afraid that if he touched himself, he wouldn’t last more than a few seconds and from the way Derek was slowly and methodically fucking his fingers into his ass, quickly wasn’t an option. Stiles could feel his brain itching to blurt out something stupid and mood killing like he’d done a couple of weeks ago, announcing suddenly that Derek ‘probably deserved an award for his awesome fingerfucking skills’. Derek had just sighed and rolled his eyes; it had been fairly low on the eye rolling and sighing scale but Stiles still felt as though he’d ruined the mood somewhat. He distracted himself, and his blurty mouth, by using his grip on Derek’s hand to tug his arm up, licking and biting his forearm.

“You OK?” Derek asked between kisses to the back of Stiles neck.

“Mm hmm.” Stiles replied, rolling his hips as Derek continued to stretch him open. “Feels good.”

“Yeah?” Derek withdrew his fingers briefly, to fiddle awkwardly with the bottle of lube, squeezing out more of the thick liquid and liberally coating  his fingers. Part of him wished he could be kneeling between Stiles’ legs as he fingered him; he loved watching the way Stiles would arch his back and moan, all coherent thought leaving him the closer he got to coming. This felt different though and the thought of pulling away from Stiles right now gave him a little cold feeling in his stomach. He tightened his grip on Stiles’ chest, smiling into his hair when he heard the happy little ‘oh!’ of surprise that escaped Stiles’ lips at the gesture. This was closely followed by another ‘oh’, more of a moan than anything else, as Derek worked a third finger into him, making small circular motions with his wrist to stretch and open Stiles further. “You OK?” He asked, his lips pressed against Stiles’ neck.

“Uh huh.” Stiles nodded, as much as he able to with Derek pressed against the back of his neck. “I kind of...I need you in me. Want you.” He murmured, planting fleeting kisses across Derek’s forearm.

“You sure?” Derek asked softly.

“I was sure a good week ago when I first asked you.” Stiles replied with a smile. “But yeah, very sure.”

Derek nodded at him, looking a little unsure as he removed his fingers and propped himself up on one elbow, stealthily wiping his  fingers off on one of the blankets and reaching for the lube again. Stiles twisted around, his eyes wide and bright as he watched him coating his cock with lube; Derek dipped his head to press a kiss against the corner of Stiles’ mouth, hoping to distract him from staring so intently. His plan worked for all of thirty seconds before Stiles was pulling away and turning on the bed to face Derek, reaching out and wrapping his hand around Derek’s as he stroked his dick.

“Are you just going to sit there jerking off for the rest of the morning?” Stiles asked impatiently, squeezing his hand tight and grinning when Derek gave a little grunt of annoyance. Derek batted his hand away and grabbed the lube, squirting out a healthy amount, before slipping his fingers into Stiles one last time and slicking him up.

“Ready?”

“Hell yes! Get on with it!” Stiles laughed.

“No.” Derek mumbled as Stiles made to turn onto his stomach. “Please? I want to be able to see you.”

“Pretty sure you’d have been able to see me.” Stiles shrugged, turning back over to face Derek.

“You know what I mean. I want to be able to see your face.”

“Works for me.” Stiles smiled sleepily, opening his legs wider to make room for Derek to kneel between them, making grabby hands at him as he tried to pull him down on top of him. Derek batted him away, shuffling closer, gripping the base of his cock as he lined up and pushed into Stiles, his pace agonizingly slow. He stopped dead when Stiles winced slightly.

“I’m...it’s OK.” Stiles whispered, running his hands up and down Derek’s arms. “Don’t stop.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Little bit.” Stiles admitted, shifting around slightly and wincing again. “Not bad enough for me to want you to stop, trust me.”

Derek nodded and leant down to kiss Stiles, his muscles bulging as he bracketed his arms on either side of Stiles’ head. He pushed forward a fraction of an inch as he felt Stiles’ tongue ghosting across his lips, opening his mouth and letting Stiles take control of their kiss as he continued to slide slowly into him.

“Oh, fuck.” Stiles moaned when Derek finally bottomed out and went still. “Fucking fuck.”

“You OK?” Derek asked, curling his hand around the side of Stiles’ face and stroking his cheek bone.

“Very OK. Just feels weird.” He looked up at Derek and smiled reassuringly. “Good weird. Very, very good. You can move, if you want.” He added, watching Derek as he bit his lip nervously. Derek smiled shyly at him and pulled out slightly, closing his eyes as Stiles made a soft whimpering sound; keeping his eyes closed as he slowly pushed back in, worried that if he looked at Stiles instead of just listening to the wrecked little noises he was making that he’d lose all self control and come within seconds.

Stiles gasped as Derek started slowly fucking into him, keeping up his slow, slow rhythm as though he were afraid he’d hurt him if he went faster. He ran his hand up Derek’s arm before curling his hand around Derek’s jaw, enjoying the feel of his stubble beneath his fingertips.

“Stiles...” Derek murmured, turning his head slightly to press a kiss against the palm of Stiles’ hand. “Love you.”

“You can’t say stuff like that to me!” Stiles complained light heartedly, lifting his legs and wrapping them around Derek’s waist, pulling him close. “Not when you’re fucking me. It’s too much for my fragile brain to cope with.”

Derek frowned, moving until his chest was flush with Stiles’ and kissed him passionately to silence him; Stiles smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Derek’s neck so he couldn’t move away. Not that Derek showed any sign of wanting to pull away from him, Stiles realised as they continued kissing, his tongue caressing Stiles’ own. The way in which Derek was lying on top of him made the angle a little awkward, his thrusts a little more shallow than Stiles would have liked and there was no way he could get his hand in between the two of them to touch himself but he didn’t care, feeling far more turned on by the sheer closeness and intimacy than anything else.

“Do you want...” Derek started as though he’d read Stiles’ mind, taking his weight on one elbow and running his hand down Stiles’ side to stroke his hip.

“Nuh-uh.” Stiles mumbled, tightening his arms around Derek’s shoulders and pulling him close again until Derek’s chest was once more flush with his. Stiles moaned happily; his cock was sandwiched between the two of them, Derek’s ridiculously muscled stomach creating a delicious friction that Stiles knew was going to push him over the edge sooner rather than later.

Much, much sooner, he thought as Derek rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip; Stiles extended his tongue slightly and licked it, chasing after Derek’s hand to press kisses against it. Derek gave a short huff of laughter and shifted his weight slightly; Stiles flinched as he felt Derek’s cock brush over his prostate, bucking his hips up against Derek.

“Don’t you dare fucking stop.” Stiles hissed as Derek hesitated and gave him a slightly panicky look. “Just...don’t.”

Derek nodded, once before resuming his previous rhythm, moving slightly faster as Stiles’ breathing became more rapid, little whimpers escaping his mouth every time Derek’s dick skated across his prostate. Suddenly, like a punch in the gut, he was coming hard and twisting his hands into Derek’s hair. He pulled Derek into a desperate, sloppy kiss, fingers twisted in his hair to stop him from moving away; Derek’s own orgasm followed a few seconds later and he gave a grunt of surprise as he pushed hard into Stiles, his cock twitching. He felt Stiles’ hands slip from his hair, his arms wrapping around his shoulders as he tried to catch his breath. A few minutes later, when the light headedness had worn off he realised he was still crushing Stiles against the bed and half slipped, half pulled out of him to lie next to him on the bed. Stiles made a dejected noise and immediately snuggled in to him, wrapping his arms and legs around Derek as though he didn’t intend to let him get away again.

“Not that I’m trying to inflate your ego or anything, but that was awesome.” Stiles smiled as he planted happy little kisses across Derek’s shoulder and chest. “You should top all the time.”

“Don’t want to.” Derek said quietly, his hand finding it’s way into Stiles’ hair, as it so often did when they were lying together. “I still prefer it when you do.”

“But...but it was awesome!” Stiles complained, smirking when Derek gave a little scowl at the word. “You’re like the king of sex or something! Are you seriously telling me I’m not getting that again?”

“No. I’m just saying don’t expect it all the time.” Derek replied, pressing a kiss against Stiles’ temple. “King of sex?”

“Yep. I was going to get you a crown and everything.” Stiles grinned. “Why’d you never tell me how weird it feels afterwards?” He asked, squirming around and screwing up his nose as he hid his face against Derek’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

“You never said how weird it feels when you’ve got come in your ass.” Stiles huffed; Derek could feel the heat of his blush where his face was pressed against his shoulder and laughed softly.

“Because I wouldn’t actually say something like that out loud. I’d just think it to myself.”

“Only because you still get embarrassed talking about sex things.” Stiles pointed out. “All I’m saying is that it feels weird.” He grumbled, lifting his head slightly and glaring at Derek. “I’m not complaining, by the way. It feels weird, but it’s still like, oh hey, reminder that Derek just fucked me.”

“You know there are still words coming out of your mouth?” Derek sighed, tugging gently on Stiles’ hair.

“You know you can suck my dick?” Stiles retorted.

“Maybe later.”

Stiles sighed loudly and dramatically as he checked his watch before curling back into Derek’s hug. “I’d totally take you up on that offer but it’s like nearly 1 o clock and I probably need to go home at some point.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t want to go.” Stiles complained, pulling one of the blankets up over his bare shoulders and snuggling closer to Derek. “I want to stay in bed with you for the rest of the day.”

“I want you to as well.” Derek muttered, trailing his hand through Stiles’ hair. “I could come over to yours later if you want?”

“When don’t I want?” Stiles laughed as he rolled over and out of bed, searching for his clothes on the bedroom floor. “You can hang out after you drop me off if you want, be my dad’s excuse for ordering takeout again.”

“Maybe later.” Derek replied as he got out of bed and crossed to his wardrobe. “Is he working today?”

“Don’t know. Want to stay over if he is?”

“Yes.” He pulled on a long sleeved t-shirt and turned to see Stiles watching him, nervously chewing on his bottom lip as he fiddled with his t-shirt. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I was just thinking stupid things.”

“What stupid things?”

“Things that freak you out.” Stiles sighed, picking up his leather jacket from the floor and shrugging it on; out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the happy smile that flickered across Derek’s face at the sight of it.

“Are you going to tell me the things?” Derek asked, quickly covering the distance between them and pulling Stiles into a hug.

“It was just stupid, just me thinking about how I want to be here with you all the time. It makes me sad when I have to go to sleep on my own.” He shrugged, a pink flush appearing on his cheeks.

“That doesn’t freak me out.” Derek assured him, kissing him tenderly. “I like falling asleep with you. I sleep better when you’re here. Less nightmares.”

Stiles made a awkward choking noise in his throat, squeezing Derek tightly and pressing a kiss against the side of his neck. Derek tightened his arms around Stiles’ shoulder, breathing in the comforting smell of him as Stiles rubbed his lower back through his shirt.

“Come on.” Derek muttered at last, disentangling himself from Stiles and crossing to the door. “You better get home before your dad turns up here looking for you.” He hustled Stiles out of the apartment, refusing Stiles’ pleading request to be allowed to drive the Camaro home as an additional birthday present, asking Stiles pointedly if he also wanted a speeding ticket as a birthday present. Stiles pouted for a few minutes before distracting himself with the radio, messing with Derek’s pre-sets again as he chattered happily all the way home.

 


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm so epically bad about putting notes on my chapters! I love all you folks who leave comments and kudos! C: 
> 
> So originally I'd planned to end this on Christmas with this chapter. Only this chapter has now grown into two and I've sort of maybe accidentally written a New Years Eve-esque one as well. Bow down and worship my marvellous timing and planning skills. 
> 
> (sorry in advance for the diabeetus levels of fluff [not sorry])

“You’re coming over for Christmas.” Stiles announced, scrambling over the back of the couch and into Derek’s lap. “Tomorrow too.” Despite making a promise to his dad about how he was going to spend the day working on his homework so he didn’t have his usual mad scramble to complete everything come January, he’d abandoned it in favour of coming over to Derek’s apartment again and insisting that they spend the day in bed. Not that Derek had complained at the suggestion, although he had declined to top Stiles again.

“I’m invited?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow as Stiles flopped against him, his legs stretched out along the couch cushions.

“Course you are. Did you think you wouldn’t be?”

“Don’t know. Christmas is a family thing. I thought you’d want to be with your dad.”

“I’m going to be with my dad, but I want you there as well. You can watch Die Hard with us.” Stiles grinned, wrapping one arm around Derek’s shoulders. “It’s our Christmas tradition.”

“You’re very strange.”

“That’s why you love me.” Stiles replied happily. “Look, I’m not asking, I’m telling. You’re coming over whether you like it or not. And don’t pull your stupid ‘I’m the alpha’ face. Just do as you’re told!”

“I wasn’t going to say that.” Derek murmured, slipping his arms around Stiles’ waist and hugging him close. “Your dad doesn’t mind me coming over?”

“I keep telling you, he likes you better than me. He told me I had to ask you.” Stiles grinned, resting his forehead against Derek’s. “So you really don’t have a say in the matter. He could probably arrest you if you don’t come. For disobeying the police or something.”

“Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie you know.”

“Oh Derek, Derek, Derek. You foolish wolf, you.” Stiles grinned, ruffling Derek’s hair and laughing when he gave an annoyed growl. “Die Hard is the Christmasiest movie ever.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Yes you will.” Stiles let Derek pull him into an unhurried kiss and wriggling around as Derek’s hand slipped under his shirt, stroking across his chest and making him forget everything about Christmas, and having to go home and the world in general.

“Want a ride home?” Derek asked sometime later, drawing circles on Stiles’ stomach with a finger tip.

“No. Want to ride you.” Stiles grinned unabashedly.

“Not on offer right now.” Derek sighed, rolling his eyes. “Either I can give you a ride home or you can call your dad to come pick you up.”

“So it’s not on offer _right now_?” Stiles asked, ignoring the parts of the conversation he didn’t like the sound of. “Does that mean it is going to be on offer at some point in the future?”

“Ride home with me or call your dad.” Derek reiterated, pushing Stiles off his lap and standing up. “Pick one.”

“Why are you making me go away?” Stiles pouted as he stood up.

“Because you’ve got a curfew.” Derek replied. “And I’m seeing you tomorrow anyway.”

“But I want to stay here. My bed is incredibly boring and lonely when you’re not in it.”

“I’m seeing you tomorrow.” Derek said again, pushing Stiles towards the door. “I’m sure you can manage 12 hours on your own.”

“Of course I can.” Stiles complained. “I just don’t want to.”

“Will you just hurry up and get in the car?” Derek grumbled, shooing Stiles out of the apartment. “You know you can’t stay over so there’s no point arguing with me about it.”

“Let me drive your car and I’ll stop arguing.”

“No.”

“Let me pick the music?”

“No.” Derek unlocked the car and glared pointedly across the roof until Stiles got in the passenger side, sinking low in the seat and folding his arms across his chest. Derek ignored him as he started up the engine, flicking on the radio as he pulled out onto the road.

“Hey Derek?” Stiles asked as they turned onto the main road. When Derek failed to reply, Stiles heaved a big, melodramatic sigh before ploughing on with what he’d intended to ask. “What do you think is more illegal? When I top or when you do?”

“I’ve never thought about it.” Derek huffed. “Do we really have to talk about this? I don’t really like being reminded how illegal our sex life is.”

“I was just asking.” Stiles replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket and spinning it between his thumb and pointer finger. “’Cause I sort of figured it would be more illegal when you’re fucking me. What with you being the older one in this relationship and all. I wonder if you could get arrested because I fucked you.”

“Maybe you can ask your dad over Christmas dinner.” Derek scowled, turning up the radio before Stiles could start asking more questions. Stiles took the hint and settled for staring moodily out of the window as they finished the drive back to his house in silence.

**. o o o .**

“Don’t judge my Christmas sweater.” Stiles mumbled as he opened the door, poking his head through the gap and scowling at Derek.

“What?”

“I said don’t judge my awesome Christmas sweater. If you do, it might just be a deal breaker for me.”

“Stiles, just let him in the house and close the door! You’re letting all the cold air in!” John shouted through from the kitchen.

Derek smirked at him, putting one hand flat on the door and pushing it, forcing Stiles backwards as he stepped into the house.

“Fucking werewolves.” Stiles complained quietly as he closed the door. “Barging in my house all the time.”

“You invited me.” Derek reminded him, slipping his arm around Stiles’ waist and pulling him into a hug. “But that sweater? Really?”

“Ah! No judging! My baba made this!” Stiles told him as he grinned down at himself, pleased that Derek appeared to have got over whatever it was that pissed him off the night before.

“It has deer on it.”

“Reindeer. Not just any old regular deer. It’s Christmassy!”

“It looks itchy.”

“If you don’t stop judging my sweater I’m going to return all your gifts to the store.” Stiles complained as Derek kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“It doesn’t fit you.” Derek told him with a smirk.

“Why are you trying to ruin Christmas?” Stiles complained, pushing Derek in annoyance. Derek smiled at him, letting himself be pushed up against the door that lead through to the lounge as Stiles crowded against him and kissed him hungrily, slipping his hands under Derek’s shirt and stroking his lower back.

“Stiles...” Derek muttered between kisses, putting his hands on Stiles’ hips and pushing him away gently. “Your dad...”

“Is right here.” John announced from behind them, standing in the kitchen doorway, his arms folded across his chest and an exasperated smile on his face. “Hello Derek. Still joining us for dinner tomorrow?”

“Sheriff...John.” Derek nodded, turning around and sending Stiles’ dad a sheepish grin. “Um. Yes. If that’s OK?”

“I told you yesterday, it was his idea to invite you!” Stiles pointed out, tugging on the back of Derek’s shirt. “Of course he’s alright with it. Right, dad?”

“Right. You’re better company than Stiles.” John told him light-heartedly. “You don’t rag on me for getting takeout.”

“We’re not getting takeout for Christmas dinner, dad.” Stiles frowned. “We’re not Jewish.”

“Worth a shot.” John laughed, turning to head back into the kitchen.

“Why do you keep calling him sheriff?” Stiles hissed as he grabbed hold of Derek’s hand and dragged him away towards the den.

“Because he is the sheriff.” Derek muttered. “And he makes me nervous.”

“How can anyone make you nervous?” Stiles laughed giddily. “Big scary werewolf that you are.”

“He looks at me like he’s suspicious about my intentions towards you all the time.” Derek replied testily. “Like he might need to arrest me again at any moment.”

“You realise you’re being very paranoid right now. How many times do I have to tell you he thinks you’re great?”

“Pretty sure he doesn’t.” Derek grumbled.

Stiles shook his head and laughed , pushing Derek down onto the couch before flopping down beside him and throwing his legs over Derek’s. Derek hesitated for a second, listening to the sounds of John pottering around the kitchen before resting his hand on Stiles’ thigh, trailing his fingers along the inner seam of his jeans as Stiles turned the TV on.

“Why are you wearing a Christmas sweater today?” Derek asked, eyeing the knitted reindeer with suspicion. “It’s only Christmas eve.”

“Because I’ve got an even better one to wear tomorrow. And anyway, Christmas eve is Christmas. That’s why they call it Christmas eve.” Stiles said distractedly as he flicked through the channels. “So are you going to tell me why you were so pissy when you dropped me off last night?”

“I wasn’t pissy.”

“Oh no, of course you weren’t. You just ignored me all the way home and kissed me on the cheek when you dropped me off. Like I was your great aunt or something.” Stiles said lightly, ignoring the scowl Derek shot him. “Was it because I was talking about the, uh, legality of....stuff?”

“No.”

“What was it then?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Yeah right. Just tell me and I’ll stop asking and then we can watch terrible holiday specials for the rest of the day.”

“You kept dropping hints about wanting to stay over.” Derek said at last, putting his hand on Stiles’ knee to stop him from bouncing his leg up and down. “If it was up to me, I’d let you stay at my place all the time. But it’s not, and you bitching and moaning at me doesn’t really help. I don’t like it.”

“Sorry.” Stiles murmured, reaching out and covering Derek’s hand with his own. “But you know you can just say stuff like that to me, right? You don’t need to be all captain pissypants about it.”

Derek just huffed in reply, turning his hand over so he could link his fingers together with Stiles’, letting his head drop back against the back of the couch and smiling unguardedly at him.

“Sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” Stiles replied. “Just tell me next time, yeah? ‘Cause that’s sort of how this is supposed to work. You tell me when I’m being a dick and I don’t trample all over you and your wolfy feelings in the process. Less butthurt all around.”

“Butthurt.” Derek repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yep.”

“Your sweater is offending my wolfy feelings.” Derek smirked, poking Stiles in the chest. “I’m all butthurt about knitted deer.”

“You’ll be even more butthurt when you don’t get any gifts tomorrow.” Stiles scowled. “I distinctly remember telling you not to judge the sweater. And yet here you are, judging the sweater.”

Derek smiled at him again; he decided not to tell Stiles he could hear John coming through from the kitchen, enjoying the way Stiles had worked himself into a sweater related rant.

“Are you sure they’re deer?” Derek asked, deliberately goading Stiles. “They look more like cows.”

“What?! Yes, they’re deer. Reindeer.” Stiles complained, tugging on the hem of the sweater so he could look down at it. “I don’t think you’re fully grasping how awesome my sweater is.”

“Give it up, Stiles.” John chimed in from where he had been standing in the doorway watching them with a smile on his face. “It’s a hideous sweater.”

“Dad. Baba made this.”

“Baba makes cabbage rolls too.” John reminded him, grabbing the remote from Stiles before sitting down in the recliner. “So you’ll have to forgive me if I question her tastes.”

Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times, before folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the TV in mock outrage.

“Derek’s right.” John added, winking at Derek. “They do look a bit like cows. I can believe I never realised that before.”

“Just for the record.” Stiles grumbled, glowering at his dad. “I hate you both right now and I’m not talking to either of you until you apologise to me and my sweater.”

“That’s nice, I wanted a bit of peace and quiet for Christmas.” John joked, a fond look on his face as he watched Stiles folding his arms across his chest and muttering under his breath. Derek squeezed Stiles’ hand and shot him an apologetic smile, feeling a little guilty for his cow comment. He settled back against the couch and let the sounds of Stiles and John bantering about previous Christmases wash over him, trying not to dwell too much on memories of Christmases with his own family.


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas in February/nearly March. I'm a failwolf.

Derek looked down at Stiles; he’d fallen asleep leaning against his chest, one arm curled tightly around his stomach. He was painfully aware that John was sitting just a few feet away in the armchair, glass of scotch in one hand, watching the TV contentedly, seemingly not bothered by the way Stiles was draped over Derek.

Derek had completely lost track of what was happening on screen, vaguely aware that there seemed to be a lot of explosions and Alan Rickman doing a terrible accent; he was too busy focusing on the sound of Stiles’ heartbeat. He was very conscious that at any moment, Stiles could start talking in his sleep and was panicking about what might come out if he did.

“He’s never seen the ending.”

“Hmm?” Derek looked up.

“He falls asleep every year. We’ve been watching this at Christmas since he was 13 and he still hasn’t seen the ending.” John told him quietly, nodding at Stiles and draining the last of his scotch. He got to his feet and stretched, passing the TV remotes to Derek. “Make sure he goes to bed, won’t you?”

“I will.” Derek replied, taking the remotes from John and holding them awkwardly.

“You’re welcome to stay tonight, if you want.”

“What?”

“In the guest room.” John added pointedly, raising an eyebrow when Derek’s gaze flicked down to Stiles.

“Uh, thanks.”

“Well, goodnight.”

“Night.” Derek was slightly taken aback when John clapped him on the shoulder on his way past before turning his attention back to the TV. He sighed happily, tightening his arm around Stiles’ shoulders as he turned off the TV, content to sit in silence as he listened to the quiet sound of Stiles’ breathing.

“I was watching that.” Stiles mumbled against his chest half an hour later. Derek gave a quiet snort of laughter

“You were asleep. You’ve been asleep for the last hour. Snoring.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“You drooled on me.” Derek added.

“Alright, you’ve made your point.” Stiles huffed, sitting up and stretching. “Can you hang out a bit longer or do you have to leave soon?”

“Your dad told me I could stay.” Derek smiled, leaning back against the arm of the couch and tugging on Stiles’ sweater until he lay down, wedged between Derek and the back of the couch, his head on Derek’s chest. “In the guest room.” He added when Stiles shot him a confused look.

“You could stay in my room and sneak out...”

“Or, I could stay in the guest room and not piss your dad off.” Derek replied, carding his hand through Stiles’ hair. “And you could stop sulking and be pleased that I’ll be here in the morning.”

“I liked my plan better.”

“You would.” Derek scoffed, tilting his head down to press a lazy kiss against Stiles’ lips. Stiles grinned into the kiss, sliding his hand under Derek’s shirt to stroke his side absent mindedly.

Derek was convinced he could actually sense Stiles starting to lose interest in just kissing him, even before Stiles started dragging his nails lightly across his stomach. He rolled his closed eyes and grabbed hold of Stiles’ hand, stopping it’s progress towards the waistband of his jeans.

“Can’t we just...I like this.” Derek shrugged, tightening his hold on Stiles briefly for emphasis. “I mean, this is nice, just being here with you.”

“I was going to offer to blow you, you realise.” Stiles grumbled half heartedly, pulling his hand away from Derek. “Why would you turn down a blow job?”

“Because I don’t want a blow job.”

“Why not?” Stiles wheedled, fiddling with Derek’s belt buckle.

“Sometimes I want to just lie on the couch and kiss you.” Derek shrugged, stroking the back of Stiles’ neck.

“Oh.”

“Don’t sulk.” Derek added as Stiles shuffled around on the couch, toying with the hem of his shirt in frustration. “I’m not suggesting you give bad head.”

“I wasn’t...”

“You were. I could hear you thinking it.” Derek murmured, pressing a kiss against Stiles’ temple, keeping his face buried in Stiles’ hair for a few minutes before adding, “I love you.”

“For someone who looks like, well, you,” Stiles started, sliding his hand back under Derek’s shirt. “You’re surprisingly adorable. I love you too, sappywolf.”

Derek gave a little sub vocal growl of contentment, nudging Stiles’ chin up with his nose and tugging down the collar of his sweater so he could run his tongue along his collarbone before sucking a mark onto the side of his neck.

“Sappywolf isn’t much better than sourwolf.” He grumbled, his lips still against Stiles’ neck. “As nicknames go.”

“You bring these things on yourself.” Stiles replied with a laugh, stretching lazily and pressing up against Derek. “It’s entirely your own fault.”

Derek made a scoffing noise in disagreement and pulled Stiles close, kissing him deeply to shut him up.

**. o o o .**

“You awake?” Stiles asked as he slipped into the guest room, grabbing Derek’s foot through the comforter and shaking it gently.

“Am now.” Derek replied drowsily from somewhere in his nest of pillows and comforter.

“Happy Christmas and all that.” Stiles sat down on the bed and leant forward to pull down the comforter.

“It’s still really early, isn’t it?” Derek asked, screwing up his eyes and burying his face in the pillow.

“You’re making assumptions.” Stiles grinned. “That I’m the sort of person that wakes up crazy early just because it’s Christmas. Like I’m a kid.”

“What time is it Stiles?”

“A little after seven.”

Derek groaned, pulling the comforter away from Stiles and tugging it back over his head.

“Oh come on, how am I supposed to just hang out in my room when I know you’re tucked up in bed down the hall? Anyway, I wanted to give you your present.”

“You could give me my present later. When it’s not 7am.”

“Suck it up, Tardar Sauce. We’re doing Christmas now.” Stiles laughed, crossing his legs beneath him and yanking hard on the comforter to expose Derek’s face again.

“Your gifts are at my apartment.” Derek complained, rolling onto his side and looking at Stiles. “I didn’t realise your dad was going to let me stay over.”

“S’OK. I just want to give you yours.” He held out a gift bag to Derek, tutting impatiently when Derek didn’t immediately take it from him.

“That shirt’s mine.” Derek yawned when he finally sat up a little further and took the bag from Stiles.

“Nope. It’s mine now.” Stiles grinned, looking down at the charcoal grey henley he was wearing. “You can smell it if you want. Smells like me, not you.”

“Because you stole it.”

“You took it off in my room and left it there. Which kind of begs the question what did you go home wearing that night. Open your present!” He added when he saw Derek watching him with an amused smile on his face. Derek dug in the bag and pulled out an inexpertly wrapped object, muttering under his breath about how Stiles had no right to criticise his gift wrapping skills in the future.

“You got me a jar.” Derek said with a confused frown. “Why did you get me a jar?”

“Because I think you need to start exploring the home pickling market.” Stiles groused. “Just look at it properly.”

“Why is it full of paper?” Derek asked turning the glass jar over in his hands.

“It’s, um, kind of like those [KindNotes](http://www.kindnotes.com/) jar things? Except I made it myself, ‘cause fuck buying other people’s ideas of nice things to say. It’s all stuff about why I love you and crap like that.” Stiles mumbled, blushing furiously. “It’s OK if you think it’s cheesy and hate it.”

“I don’t hate it.”

“Yeah? I just figured that it’d be nice for when you’re sulking around your apartment on your own. You know, you could read one of those – “ he pointed at the jar “ – and be all, ‘oh yeah, Stiles loves me because I’ve got fancy eyes’.”

“Fancy eyes?”

“You heard. Don’t read then now.” He added as he watched Derek open the jar. “In case I die of embarrassment on account of being the corniest motherfucker alive.”

“So I can’t even read one of all of these?” Derek asked, shaking the jar about and raising an eyebrow. “How much stuff did you write?”

“Shut up. I’ve got lots of reasons to love you.” Stiles scowled. “I’m serious! Stop that!” He lunged forward and grabbed the jar from Derek, spilling a few folded up pieces of paper in the process.

“You can’t give me a gift and then snatch it back off me.” Derek smiled, grabbing for one of the pieces from paper on the bed and reading it, frowning at Stiles. “This says ‘you’ve got a nice dick’.”

“Well you have. Stop reading them.”

“No. I want to know what else you like about me.” Derek unfolded another piece of paper, blushing slightly as he read it. “This one just says ‘I want to do porn things to you’. Porn things? I’d ask you to explain, but I think it’ll be incredibly embarrassing for both of us.”

“Fuck you.” Stiles scowled, aiming a kick at Derek’s leg. Derek caught his foot easily before it could connect and to Stiles’ amazement, yanked off his sock and smirked at him.

“Did you...You just took my sock!” Stiles spluttered incredulously, looking from his bare foot to Derek. “I can’t believe you took my sock! Give it back.”

“You’re being loud.” Derek pointed out smugly, opening another piece of paper. “Your dad’s going to hear.”

“Give me back my sock!”

“Be quiet first.”

“Dude, my dad isn’t going to hear us. Just give me the damn thing back.” Stiles huffed, holding his hand out to Derek, who threw the sock at him, hitting him in the face. He watched as Derek opened his mouth to say something before stopping abruptly with a worried expression on his face.

“What’s the...” He started to ask when he heard the tell-tale creak of the door being pushed open all the way.

“I notice you’re not in your own bedroom, Stiles.” John commented disapprovingly from the doorway.

“You’ll also notice we’ve don’t have the door closed, I’m above the quilt and I have all my clothes on.” Stiles informed his dad as he pulled his sock back on.

“I also notice that ‘bruise’ on your neck.” His dad replied, frowning at the back of Stiles’ head. Stiles blushed, determined not to slap his hand over the hickey that his shirt clearly didn’t hide as he stared up at a spot on the wall above the bed. He was also determined not to look at Derek right now, as he had a horrified look on his face, as though he was hoping the ground would swallow him up which was quite frankly, hilarious.

“You’re the police, dad. You’re supposed to notice things.” Stiles replied, turning round to look at his dad. “Only maybe you could work on not pointing them out in a totally embarrassing way.”

“Ten minutes. Then I want you both downstairs.” His dad sighed, closing the door behind him as he left.

“I’m starting to think you like getting caught.” Derek huffed as they listened to John walking down the stairs.

“I like it?” Stiles scoffed, crawling up the bed and under the comforter to lie down beside Derek. “Out of the two of us, who has supernatural hearing and should have been able to hear my dad coming?”

“You were distracting me.”

“You’re the distracting one. You stole my sock.” Stiles pointed out, snuggling closer to Derek and resting his hand on his chest. “What’s with you today, anyway? Sock thieving is very not Derek behaviour.”

“Happy, I guess.” Derek shrugged, burying his nose in Stiles’ hair. “Sorry.”

“Dude, you don’t ever need to be sorry for being happy.” Stiles mumbled against Derek’s chest. “I want you to be happy all the time.”

“No one’s happy all the time.”

“Yeah, but when we first met, you weren’t happy any of the time.” Stiles pointed out gently. “I’m trying to make up for it now.”

Derek smiled into his hair and hugged him tightly, ignoring Stiles’ little grunt of complaint about not being able to breathe.

“You don’t have to take responsibility for me being happy.” Derek said at last, his grip on Stiles loosening slightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t blame yourself when I’m not happy, I guess.”

“I don’t...Alright, so I do that sometimes, but not all the time.” Stiles grumbled. “I can’t help it. I love your stupid ass. I want you to be happy. I want to be the one that makes you happy.”

“You do make me happy.” Derek sighed. “Most of the time anyway.”

“Why only most of the time?” Stiles wheedled, digging his fingers into Derek’s armpit and attempting to tickle him when he didn’t answer immediately.

“Because you do shit like that.” Derek complained, grabbing hold of Stiles’ hand. “And you ask me stupid questions all the time.”

“I hate you.”

“I’ve got a jar here that says otherwise.” Derek rapped his knuckles on the glass jar and flashed Stiles a smug smile.

“Shut up.” Stiles laughed, pressing a kiss against Derek’s lips.

He sighed and lifted Stiles’ arm up so he could see his watch, sighing sadly when he saw the time. “I think our ten minutes are nearly up.”

“But we didn’t even get to make out properly yet!” Stiles grumbled, fisting his hand in Derek’s shirt and dragging him into another kiss.

“Did you ever think that maybe that’s because your dad is right downstairs?” Derek asked, pulling back from Stiles and his grabby hands.

“I’m pretty sure he already knows what we’re doing up here.” Stiles pointed out, pinching the inside of Derek’s upper arm. “We’d be foolish to lie here not making out if he already thinks we’re lying here making out.”

“I worry about your thought process sometimes.” Derek huffed, letting himself be pulled into a passionate kiss.

By the time they broke apart, it was approaching nine o clock and Stiles’ face was bright red with stubble rash; Derek contemplated escaping out of the bedroom window rather than having to go downstairs and have John commenting on both the stubble rash and the hickey from the night before but was fairly certain Stiles would kill him if he did run away.

Stiles had scuttled off to his bedroom and grabbed a hoodie while Derek was dressing, which at least covered his neck if not his reddened cheeks and made him feel a little better about going downstairs to face John.

“Does time go slower upstairs?” John asked over his cup of coffee as they joined him in the den.

“My watch stopped working.” Stiles replied with an easy grin, throwing himself down on the couch, patting the cushion beside him when Derek hesitated. “And there’s no clock in the guest room.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“I hope you remembered our little talk from your birthday.” John commented, raising an eyebrow at Stiles. “About being safe.”

“Oh my god. We’re weren’t...” Stiles mumbled, flushing. “Things were kept PG-13.” He finished, pulling his hood up and glaring at the TV.

“I should hope so.”

Stiles risked a glance at Derek, who was once again looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up, the tips of his ears bright red. He shuffled away from Stiles a little, sitting bolt upright and maintaining a healthy gap between the two of them, as though determined to prove just how ‘PG-13’ things were.

“What time are we having dinner?” Stiles asked, pushing his hood to once side so he could see his dad.

“I was thinking around two. I’m going to have to go into the station this evening.”

“What? Why? You already worked on Thanksgiving.” Stiles grumbled, twisting around and wedging his feet under Derek’s thigh as he looked at his dad. “I thought you got Christmas off if you worked Thanksgiving.”

“We’re still short staffed after...well, you know.” John replied, dismissing the whole Matt/Kanima situation with a pained look. “Sorry kid. You’ll be going over Scott’s later though, right?”

“Probably, yeah.” Stiles sighed, perking up slightly when Derek put his hand on top of his feet, an oddly sweet little gesture. Truth be told, he had no intentions of going to Scott’s and was planning on asking Derek to stay the minute his dad left the house. From the knowing half smile on Derek’s face, he was aware of this too and rolled his eyes when Stiles grinned at him.

They watched TV in silence for a while before Derek made an odd little coughing noise and turned to John.

“Do you need...Can we do anything to help with dinner?”

“That’d be great.” John replied, giving him a surprised smile. “I can never get Stiles to help out normally.”

Derek nodded before falling silent again, stroking his thumb idly over the top of Stiles’ feet. He settled into his increasingly familiar habit of listening to Stiles and his dad chatter and banter with each other, sneaking little glances at Stiles every so often when he knew he wasn’t looking. He was almost disappointed, when an hour later, John announced he was going to start making the rest of dinner and chivvied them towards the kitchen.

“I hope you realise he’s going to make you peel potatoes.” Stiles whispered to Derek as they walked into the kitchen. “Why did you have to offer to help with stuff?”

Derek shrugged; he honestly didn’t mind the thought of helping out in the kitchen. Before the fire, Christmas, along with Thanksgiving had always been a major production with his family and he’d enjoyed spending Christmas mornings in the kitchen with his own father and Peter helping to prepare for the main meal. Stiles, on the other hand, apparently couldn’t abide helping prepare Christmas dinner and spent much of the morning complaining about why couldn’t they just have got boxed mash potato and maybe they should have just got takeout before wandering off to see what was on the TV. John eventually tasked him with making the (boxed mix) biscuits and offered him $50 if he could be quiet for half an hour; by the time they sat down to eat, Stiles wasn’t any richer but did have flour all over his pyjama pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone needs a KindNotes jar, it's Derek Hale.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More words! Only one more (proper) chapter of this to go, but there are also going to be three epilogue-ish chapters as well! Thank you everyone that's kept reading this for so long! You're all awesome as hell!

By nine that night, Stiles and Derek were lounging around in the den watching Stiles’ new DVDs; John had gone into work around six to relieve the deputies that had worked through the day to ensure they got to spend at least some of the day with their families. Stiles had become embroiled in a text argument with Scott earlier in the day for changing up the habit of the last six years and telling him that they’d hang out the day after Christmas instead of going over to Scott’s that evening.

Derek had dutifully left just before John, walking back over when he knew for certain that Stiles was alone in the house. He’d settled into the recliner, watching sleepily as Stiles opened his gifts and feeling pleased when he’d started crowing excitedly about the light up Iron Man t-shirt he’d bought him and how it was ‘possibly the most awesome shirt in the history of shirts’.

“Can we have Christmas sex now?” Stiles asked, sliding down in his seat and nudging Derek with his foot.

“What’s Christmas sex?” Derek asked drowsily, keeping his eyes closed.

“Like regular sex, but we have it on Christmas.” Stiles grinned, slipping off the couch and crossing to the recliner so he could kneel down between Derek’s legs.

“I thought it might have been one of your porn things you wanted to try.” Derek replied, running his hand through Stiles’ hair.

“I’m too full of ham to try porn things right now.” Stiles told him, resting his head on Derek’s thigh. “But I’m pretty sure I could manage some lazy Christmas sex.”

“Stop saying Christmas sex.” Derek huffed, opening his eyes as he sat up further and stretched. “It’s weird.”

“You’re weird.”

Derek rolled his eyes and pushed Stiles away from him before getting to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Stiles grumbled, kneeling up and frowning at Derek.

“We’re not having sex in here.” Derek huffed, edging towards the door, bending down to grab his sneakers as he went.

“Aww, why not?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“We’re only ever going to have sex in a bed, aren’t we?” Stiles sighed dramatically as he stood up. “Where’s your sense of adventure Derek?”

“We could have no sex if that’s what you really want.” Derek mutter darkly as he followed Stiles up the stairs. “I’m just not comfortable having sex in random rooms in your dad’s house.”

“I don’t like the sound of no sex.” Stiles said quietly as they slipped into his room, spinning around and pushing Derek back against the door. He put his hands on Derek’s hips to hold him in place and leant in for a greedy kiss, enjoying the little moaning sounds that were escaping from Derek as he pressed up against him. He started pushing at the hem of Derek’s shirt between kisses. “You should probably take this off.”

Derek obliged, throwing his shirt to one side and pushing Stiles backwards towards the bed until the backs of his knees hit the mattress and he sat down suddenly.

“Huh.” Stiles commented, reaching for the waistband of Derek’s jeans and pulling him close. “It’s been a while since you manhandled me like that.”

“Sorry.” Derek murmured, putting his hands on Stiles’ shoulders.

“Don’t be. I like it.” Stiles grinned, leaning forward and dragging his tongue up from Derek’s waistband to his belly button, his grin widening when Derek made a strangled “hhngh” noise at the sensation. Feeling emboldened, he popped the buttons of Derek’s fly, raising an eyebrow when he saw a distinct lack of underwear. “Since when do you go commando?”

“Since I took a shower earlier and realised I haven’t done any laundry in a week. Anyway, you don’t seem to be complaining.” Derek replied as Stiles tugged his jeans lower down his hips and slide his hand inside, curling his fingers around his semi-hard cock.

“Not in the slightest.”

“I read the rest of the things you wrote.” Derek said breathily as Stiles leisurely stroked his dick. “In the jar.”

“Yeah? Did they make you happy?” He leant forward and delicately kissed the head of Derek’s cock before swirling his tongue around the head a few times.

“ _Jesus_.” Derek moaned, digging his fingers into Stiles’ shoulder. “Yes.”

“Good.” He promptly let go of Derek and lay back on the bed, grinning up at the ceiling.

“Don’t you think that was a little unfair.” Derek grumbled, tucking himself away and sitting down beside Stiles on the bed.

“I’m too tired to sit up.” Stiles replied, moving up the bed so he could put his head on the pillow. “I might even be too tired to take my clothes off.”

“OK.” Derek lay down beside him, one arm folded beneath his head.

“No, not OK! You’re supposed to offer to take them off for me!”

“Take them off yourself.”

Stiles pouted pathetically, sitting up and peeling off his t-shirt and hoodie, leaving him in just his pyjama pants.

“See, we could have saved ourselves a whole two minutes of discussion over that.” He whinged, draping an arm across Derek’s stomach. “And you could have been all you and demanded I take my clothes off. Alpha style.”

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s something I do.” Derek sighed.

“You could if you wanted to.” Stiles suggested, fidgeting about for a minute and pulling his arm away from Derek so he could toy with the drawstring of his pyjama pants.

“I’m not going to.”

“I know. I was just saying. If you wanted to, you could. I wouldn’t be entirely opposed.” He shuffled around to rest his head on Derek’s chest so he could listen to his heartbeat, feeling Derek’s hand slide up into his hair when he realised what he was doing. “Seems a little unfair.” He murmured, planting fleeting kisses on Derek’s chest. “You get to hear mine all the time and I can only hear yours like this.”

Derek didn’t reply, but continued to slowly card his fingers through Stiles’ hair.

“You know, I seriously love you so much.” Stiles said softly, tracing Derek’s happy trail with a finger tip. “It’s pretty fucking ridiculous how much I love you.”

“I don’t think it is.”

“That’s because you get the edited version of how much I love you.” Stiles told him, lifting his head and resting his chin on Derek’s chest so he could look at him. “If I actually said some of the stuff I think, you’d probably run away screaming. Or howling, I guess.”

“The stuff in the jar didn’t freak me out.” Derek pointed out, tilted his head down so he could kiss Stiles on the forehead. “All the stuff in the jar. There’s a lot of it.”

“I bet some of it did. I bet the sheer volume freaked you out a little bit.”

“Why do you always think you’re freaking me out?” Derek asked indignantly.

“Because sometimes I get obsessive about stuff and people.” Stiles mumbled, looking away from Derek again. “I don’t mean to but I do. Kind of the reason why Scott’s my only proper friend. My dad says I scare people off sometimes. I think that’s why Isaac didn’t like me at first.”

“You haven’t scared me off.” Derek shrugged, hugging Stiles more tightly. “I like the way you are. You’re honest about stuff. What’s the point of pretending you don’t feel the way you do because other people say you shouldn’t?”

“Social acceptance?” Stiles muttered, hiding his face against Derek’s chest. “Not having your boyfriend think you’ve got stalker tendencies?”

“I don’t think that.” Derek replied gently. “I think that I love you because of all that. I like knowing that you think about me the way you do.”

“You don’t think we’re kind of co-dependent?”

“I think we’re us.” Derek shrugged again. “Are you OK? You seem kind of sad and angry.”

“Just feeling a bit weird.” Stiles admitted, reaching for Derek’s free hand and linking their fingers together. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Derek pressed another kiss against his hair and squeezed his hand, trailing his fingers across Stiles’ shoulder blade. “I love you. Weird mood or not.”

“More fool you then.” Stiles grinned, shuffling around until he was lying half across Derek’s chest, resting his chin on his sternum. “Thanks though. For not getting pissy when I’m being all weird at you.”

Derek gave him a small smile, leaning forward until he was able to press a chaste kiss against his lips. Stiles shot him a brief frown before moving further up Derek’s chest and pulling him in to a deep, filthy kiss. Within minutes, they were tangled together, kissing and groping passionately at each other.

“You know what’d be...” Stiles started as he trailed kisses across Derek’s jaw and down his neck.

“You’re going to say awesome, aren’t you?” Derek asked quietly, tilting his head back further.

“Actually I was going to say romantic.” Stiles grumbled, lifting his head briefly to glare at Derek.

“No you weren’t.” Derek teased, poking Stiles in the ribs. “What would be awesome?”

“Stop that. If you topped tonight.”

 “Do I have to?” Derek asked as Stiles turned his attention back to licking across his collarbone.

“What? No.” Stiles replied, sitting up abruptly and frowning at him. “You don’t have to do anything. That’s sort of the point of me asking. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, I’m just saying that I’d like it if you did.”

“Oh.”

“You liked it, didn’t you? When you did it on my birthday?”

“Yeah...”

“So?” Stiles wheedled, running his hand lightly across Derek’s chest. Derek curled one hand around the back of his neck and pulled him close, kissing him passionately in lieu of a reply. “Is that a yes then?”

“Yes.”

Stiles hummed happily, reaching down to push Derek’s jeans off his hips before shimmying out of his pyjama pants and wriggling under the comforter. He watched shamelessly as Derek rolled off the bed and pulled off his jeans, grabbing the lube from the bedside table before joining Stiles under the comforter.

“I like when you’re like this.” Stiles commented as he rolled onto his side and snuggled back against Derek, grabbing hold of his wrist and pulling on his arm until he slid it under his neck.

“Like what?”

“All naked and huggy.” Stiles grinned as Derek slipped his other arm around his waist and pressed up against him. “You feel nice.”

“So do you.” Derek replied, kissing the back of his neck. They lay like this for some time, neither of them speaking as they enjoyed the feel of each other’s skin. When Derek sensed Stiles was about to become fidgety, he started kissing the back of his neck and shoulders again, running his hand down his ribs and over his ass cheek before searching for the lube.

“Hurry it up, wolfy!” Stiles muttered, lacing his fingers with Derek’s and giving his hand a quick squeeze.

“Why are you always so impatient?” Derek grumbled, biting down on the back of his shoulder as he struggled to uncap the bottle of lube.

“Because you’re awesome at fucking me.” Stiles replied swiftly, grinding back against Derek’s erection. “Now hurry up!”

“You swear a lot, you know.”

“I do?” Stiles asked, turning his head slightly so he could see Derek’s face, shivering as Derek started dragging his thumb in maddening slowly circles. Stiles frowned and opened his mouth to complain, only to find himself uttering a little “ah!” of surprise as Derek slowly but confidently pushed one finger inside him. He arched his back at the slow drag of Derek’s finger, moaning softly.

Stiles went quiet for the most part, moaning and whispering Derek’s name under his breath as Derek fingered him slowly. Derek smiled against the back of Stiles’ neck, mouthing and licking at the top of his spine whenever he though Stiles’ attention was starting to wander too much and biting down on the back of his shoulder as he added a second finger, crooking them slightly and smiling when Stiles’ swore loudly.

“Want to kiss you.” Stiles murmured, trying to twist around to face Derek and moaning when his fingers started to slip out. Derek slid his arm out from under Stiles’ neck, taking his weight on his elbow and leaning over as much as he could to kiss him, taking advantage of Stiles being distracted and working a third finger inside of him.

“You OK?” He whispered against Stiles’ lips, withdrawing his fingers slightly before pushing back in.

“Mm hmm.” Stiles replied thickly. “Feel all melty.”

“Melty?” Derek laughed, leaning in for another kiss as he continued to slowly fuck Stiles with his fingers.

“You heard.” Stiles sighed, pushing back against Derek’s hand. “Are you going to fuck me soon? Because I think I might die if I don’t get your dick in me soon.”

Derek buried his face against the back of Stiles’ neck and gave a small snort of laughter, blushing slightly at the way Stiles had phrased his request.

“Want me to turn over?” Stiles asked as Derek grudgingly withdrew his fingers, reaching for the lube so he could coat his cock.

“You don’t have to.” Derek answered quietly, pressing up against Stiles’ back. “I like this.”

“You sure?” Stiles asked, sounding slightly surprised. “I don’t mind if you want me to move. I know you’ve got that whole wanting to see me thing going on.”

“I can see you like this.” Derek murmured, squeezing more lube out onto his fingers and slicking Stiles up further. He slid his arm back under Stiles’ neck, spreading his hand across his chest and pulling him close as he slowly pushed into him, pausing briefly when Stiles whimpered.

“I’m OK.” Stiles said quickly before Derek could ask the inevitable question, pushing back against him until Derek’s cock was buried completely inside him. They both went quiet, breathing heavily as Derek started to thrust slowly, his free hand slipping down Stiles’ waist towards his cock. Stiles made another little whimpering noise, reaching behind himself and burying his hand in Derek’s hair, pulling him into a slightly awkward kiss. “Go faster.” He added, pushing back against Derek again. Derek shook his head, moving his hand to Stiles’ hip to stop him from moving. Stiles grumbled incoherently, pinching Derek’s arm.

“I could just stop.” Derek whispered, his hot breath ghosting across Stiles’ ear, pleased that Stiles couldn’t hear the lie.

“Yeah right.” Stiles replied breathily, burying his face against Derek’s arm, his heart racing as Derek kept up his slow movements, mouthing at the back of his neck as he did so. “You don’t want to stop.”

“True.”

When he was confident that Stiles wasn’t going to start demanding he go faster again, Derek moved his hand across his hip and stomach, curling his fingers around Stiles’ cock. He started stroking him at the same unhurried pace, biting down on Stiles’ shoulder when he made a noise of complaint.

“You’re actually trying to drive me insane.” Stiles gasped, arching his back and moaning loudly. Derek didn’t reply, or speed up, but kept listening to Stiles’ heartbeat, listening to the little noises of him becoming steadily more wrecked, feeling his skin growing hotter as he groaned and muttered Derek’s name. The sounds Stiles was making, combined with the tight, hot feeling of him around his cock was pushing Derek rapidly towards orgasm.

“You’re close.” Derek whispered in his ear, biting gently on his lobe. Stiles nodded, his hair tickling Derek’s nose. “How close?” He bit his bottom lip as he waited for Stiles to reply, trying to think about anything else to distract himself from coming.

“Very.” Stiles exhaled; digging his fingernails into Derek’s forearm and arching his back as he came suddenly, covering Derek’s hand. He didn’t even realise that Derek was coming at the same time as him until he heard him mumbling his name and ‘fuck’ into his ear. He sighed happily, feeling Derek’s warm forehead against the back of his neck as he caught his breath, trying to ignore the fact that Derek was attempting to surreptitiously use the sheet to wipe the come from his hand.

“That was really....wow.” Stiles murmured sleepily, making a little whining noise in his throat when Derek pulled out. “I know we haven’t had a whole lot of sex, but that felt amazing. Like way more amazing than usual. Right?” He added, turning around so he could see Derek. “It was for you too, right?”

“Mm hmm.” Derek put one arm around Stiles’ waist and pulled him close, pressing a kiss against the tip of Stiles’ nose. “Even if you did try and spoil it by saying I was going too slow.”

“Sorry.” Stiles mumbled, snuggling closer to Derek, ducking his head under the chin and wrapping one arm around his stomach. “I feel like I should be all bothered about the fact that there’s come all over the comforter and sheets, but you know what, I feel too sexed out to care.” He yawned hugely.

Derek laughed into his hair, running his hand up and down his back before unashamedly sniffing Stiles’ hair. “Hey.” He tapped Stiles on the shoulder until he pulled away slightly to look at him. “I’ve liked this.”

“The sex?”

“Yeah, the sex, but Christmas too. Been a while since I had a good Christmas.”

Stiles reached up and slid his hand around the back of Derek’s neck, pulling him close and giving him a sweet, chaste kiss. “How long?” He asked tentatively, twirling his fingers in Derek’s hair.

“Put it this way.” Derek replied, a sad note in his voice. “My favourite gift that Christmas was a My Chemical Romance shirt. That long.”

 


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it...last chapter! There are still three epiloguesque chapters to come though, but this is the last proper chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who's left comments and kudos...I love you all! :D

Lydia’s New Years Eve party turned out be not as great as Stiles had expected. There’d been some weird tension between Derek and Jackson over the fact that he still hadn’t been in contact since coming back to town for the holidays. Derek had stormed off and it had taken Stiles nearly thirty minutes before he found him skulking in a dark corner near the pool.  

“Want to leave?” He asked, slipping his hand into Derek’s. “We can drive up to the preserve and watch the fireworks.”

Derek nodded in agreement, letting Stiles lead him away across the garden towards the street when a voice made them both jump.

“Are you two sneaking away from another party?” Isaac asked, appearing from a patch of shadows near one of the elaborate flowerbeds.

“I don’t think you get to call us out for being unsociable when you’re lurking out in the yard on your own.” Stiles grinned, squeezing Derek’s hand as he made a frustrated tutting noise. “Why are you lurking in the yard?”

“Not on my own.” Isaac grinned roguishly and stepped to one side of reveal a blonde haired girl that Stiles was certain was in the grade above them waved awkwardly to Stiles and Derek, before frowning at Isaac and tugging on the back of his shirt in a bid to get him to turn around.

“Uh, we’ll let you get back to that then.” Stiles grinned awkwardly. “We’re going up to the preserve. See you next year, I guess!”  

Isaac had turned away before Stiles even finished talking, prompting Derek to drag him away across the damp grass towards the driveway.

“Keys.” Derek demanded as they reached the Jeep, leaning on the driver’s side door and holding his hand out to Stiles.

“What? No! My car, I’m driving.”

“No. I’ve just watched you drink God knows how many beers and I can smell the tequila you think you’ve managed to hide in your jacket.”

“But you’re horrible to my Jeep.” Stiles pouted, tugging feebly on the sleeve of Derek’s jacket in an attempt to move him away from the car. “You grind the gears and curse at it.”

“You’re not driving. If you want to go and watch the fireworks, you can give me your keys. Or we can stay here.”

Stiles glowered at him for a few seconds but reluctantly dropped his car keys into Derek’s outstretched hand, receiving a smug smirk in return. He resorted for cranking the stereo up loudly when Derek started the Jeep, singing along at the top of his voice as they drove away from Lydia’s. Derek lost patience with him after a good three minutes and snapped the stereo off, swatting Stiles’ hand away when he tried to turn it back on.

“You suck.” Stiles pouted, uncapping the bottle of tequila and sniffing the contents.

“So do you.”

“You like it when I suck.”

Derek said nothing, settling for raising an eyebrow slightly and shaking his head exasperatedly at Stiles’ comment. Stiles pouted for a moment before raising the bottle to his lips and taking a swig; the alcohol burned his throat and he put the cap back on the bottle, lapsing into silence as he watched the houses thin out and give way to woodland as they sped towards the preserve.

“Think you’ll ever do anything with it?” Stiles asked quietly as Derek slowed the Jeep slightly as they drove past the turn off to his old house. “Like re-build it or something.”

“No. I wouldn’t want to. Too many bad memories.” Derek shrugged, rolling his eyes as Stiles picked at the label on the tequila bottle, dropping little strips of paper to the floor. “And I can’t really imagine you being happy living all the way out here in the woods. Too far away from civilization, right?”

“You think about stuff like that?” Stiles asked after a long pause. “Why?”

“Why not? You do.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.” Stiles blushed. Derek scowled out of the windscreen and fell silent, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. Stiles fiddled with the bottle cap, unsure of what to say. He settled for silently judging the way in which Derek was driving the Jeep. When they finally reached the end of the road, he gratefully slipped out of the car, protesting when Derek snatched the bottle of tequila from him and threw it deep into the woods.

“It smells bad.” Derek shrugged when Stiles punched him in the arm. He stalked away to the cliff edge, his hands wedged deep in his pockets.

“So what’s pissing you off now?” Stiles called, clambering onto the hood of the Jeep,

“I’m not pissed off.” Derek replied as he turned round to face Stiles. “Why is it different when you think about us living together?”

“What? Because it is! Because I’m idealistic and 17. I’m allowed to think dumb stuff like that, like how we’re going to be together forever and true love and all that crap.” Stiles shrugged as he frowned at Derek. “You’re officially an adult. You can vote and be in the army and stuff. You’re supposed to be too mature to think things like that.”

“I didn’t vote.”

“Well then you’re stupid, but you still could if you wanted to. You can’t think stuff like that about the future.”

“I thought being an adult meant I was supposed to think about the future.” Derek pointed out grumpily.

 “Yeah, but you might meet someone better when I go to college. When I’m not monopolising your time and being weird at you.”

“You keep saying that. I’m not going to meet anyone else, I don’t want anyone else.” Derek replied hotly.

“I don’t either.”

“So why are we arguing about it?”

“I don’t know.” Stiles shrugged, slouching over and glaring at the ground.

“Do you really think it’s stupid? Thinking about the future?”

“No, but like I said, idealistic and 17.”Stiles sighed, blowing on his hands to try and warm them up. “Plus you get a weird ‘I’m trying not to freak out but secretly I’m freaking out’ look on your face when I say stuff like that. I don’t like freaking you out.”

“It doesn’t freak me out.” Derek said quietly stepping closer to Stiles and resting his hands on his thighs. “I like hearing you talk about the future.”

“Yeah right.” Stiles scoffed, shifting uncomfortably. “You’d freak right out if I actually told you some of the stuff that goes through my brain.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“You really would.”

“Try me.”

“What? No!”

“Stiles.” Derek murmured, tightening his grip on Stiles’ thighs.

“Fine. Fine, I think about stuff like that all the goddamn time, like all the actual time, when I’m brushing my teeth, when I’m driving to school, in chemistry class, when my dad’s trying to talk at me about college. About how I want to live with you and stuff, not just after college but like right now because sleeping on my own fucking sucks now I know how great sleeping with you is. About how the idea of going away to college is still really upsetting me because I don’t want to be that far apart from you.” Stiles paused for breath, scowling at Derek in the darkness.  “Still not freaked out? OK. How about how I literally can’t imagine any kind of future for myself without you in it. How I think about if we’re ever going to have kids or if we’d just get a dog instead and what we’d call it.  How if you did some stupid like...like fucking proposed to me or some shit right now, I’d say yes in a heartbeat.”

“OK.”

“Seriously? OK? I spill my guts and all you’ve got to say is OK?”

“I’m not going to propose to you.” Derek shrugged, pushing Stiles’ knees apart and taking a step closer.

“Oh thank fuck! Because I seriously don’t see the point of marriage!” Stiles laughed nervously. “I was just trying to make a point about how into you I am.”

“Point taken.” Derek slipping one hand around the back of Stiles’ neck so he could pull him down to kiss him, their lips barely brushing.

“So that doesn’t freak you out?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want all that too. “

“With me?”

“No, with Scott. Of course with you, idiot.” Derek teased gently, resting his forehead against Stiles’.

“What about when I go to college?”

“We’ll make it work.”

“But what if I go really far away? Erica and Boyd split up once already because he wants to go to Columbia.”

“Are we Erica and Boyd?”

“No, but...”

“Jesus, stop with the buts.” Derek huffed. “I know for a fact you’re only looking at colleges in California, even though you’re smart enough to go anywhere you want so don’t try that argument. Wherever you end up going, we’ll work it out.”

“How’d you know where I’m thinking about applying?”

“Isaac told me.”

“Isaac’s a shit head.”

“No he’s not.”

Stiles huffed, his breath coming out in little clouds in the cold air as he slipped his arms around Derek’s shoulders, taking a moment to twitch the collar of his henley to one side so he could press his cold fingers against Derek’s warm skin.

“Are you serious?” He asked at last, his fingers moving in little circles on the back of Derek’s neck. “About this? Us?”

“Yes.”

“So this is like a forever sort of thing?”

“If that’s what you want, yes.”

“God, I wish my life was a movie or something right now.” Stiles mumbled, his eyes sparkling in the dark as he grinned at Derek. “We deserve some awesome montage sequence. Like that one in Scrubs, before it went to shit. You know, of us being all awesome and coupley and getting old together and stuff.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“Oh come the fuck on, the adorable montage scene with JD and Elliot? You haven’t seen it?” Stiles frowned. “There’s something wrong with you.”

“Yeah, because you’re the yardstick for normalcy.” Derek grumbled, leaning in and giving Stiles a quick peck on the lips. “You know it’s not going to be all movie montage for us, right? You realise what you’re signing up for?”

Yes. I realised that when we first got together.”

“Really? It’s not all going to be rainbows and kittens, you know. There’s always going to be hunters, there’s always going to be people out there who want to see my kind dead. We still don’t know where Peter is or why the Alpha’s left town, or if they’re going to come back” Derek said softly, pressing his forehead against Stiles’ shoulder. “You think we’re going to live for another seventy years and die happily in bed together as little old men? That’s...that’s probably not the future the universe has picked out for me.”

“I don’t care.” Stiles replied quietly, turning his head slightly so Derek’s hair brushed against his cheek. “I mean I care that you might be in danger, and I hate it, but who knows what could happen to any of us. I could get run over by a truck tomorrow. I could get...I could get sick like my mom did. Do you think my dad shouldn’t have married my mom if he knew she was going to die when she did?”

“No, of course not.”

“So why is it different for us?”

“It’s not. But I don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger.”

“Yeah, because before we got together, I never put myself in ‘unnecessary danger’.” Stiles grinned. “I’m probably 24% less in danger now I’m with you. You do your scary eyebrows at me and stop me from doing stupid things.”

“There’s not enough scary eyebrows in the world to stop you from doing stupid things Stiles.” Derek said fondly, resting his hand against Stiles’ neck and stroking his thumb across his cheek.

“I don’t do stupid things anymore!” Stiles pouted, turning his head and licking the palm of Derek’s hand. “I haven’t been in the back of my dad’s cruiser for months. Not since that time I was driving your car. I’d say that counts as not doing stupid things.” He grinned, feeling rather proud of himself; Derek returned his smile, before glancing over his shoulder towards the town below them.

“Fireworks are starting.” He murmured, turning around and leaning back against Stiles’ chest, tipping his head back and watching the brightly coloured explosions. Stiles went quiet and still, pressing his cheek against the side of Derek’s face.

“This has been a really weird year.” He said quietly after a considerable pause, wrapping his arms around Derek’s stomach and kissing his earlobe.

“Been a good year.” Derek replied with a shy smile.

“Best one I’ve had in a while. Well the parts from like July onwards at least.” Stiles conceded as the fireworks started to die off. “You really meant it, right? The stuff about us? About being together, like long term?”

“Yes. Are you going to keep asking me that?”

“Probably. It still feels kind of weird. Knowing that you want to be with me like that.”

“We need to tell your dad.” Derek sighed, turning around again so he could rest his chin on Stiles’ shoulder.  “If this....us...me is really what you want. He needs to know who – what I am.”

“I know.”

“What if it’s too much for him?” Derek asked hesitantly. “He might not want you to be with me anymore.”

“As if that would actually stop me.” Stiles grinned, hugging Derek tightly. “You should know by now that...”

Whatever it was that Derek was supposed to know by now was left unsaid as they were interrupted by a car horn blaring from behind the Jeep.

“Lydia’s _pissed_ at you two!” Scott announced, spilling out of the back of Derek’s Camaro and onto the ground. “You weren’t supposed to ditch her party.”

“Why is Boyd driving my car?” Derek demanded, wedging his hands back in his pockets and checking that he still had his keys.

“You should really consider keeping your spare key hidden somewhere other than the wheel arch.” Boyd grinned. “It’s too obvious.”

“It’s only obvious because you know it’s there. I told you about that for emergencies.” Derek huffed. “Not so you could steal my car and follow us up here.”

“It’s New Years Eve, Derek.” Isaac grinned, looking over his shoulder from where he stood on the cliff edge with Scott. “You’re supposed to spend it with friends, not lurking in the woods on your own.”

“I wasn’t on my own.” Derek pointed out, nodding towards Stiles. “You lot are interrupting.”

“Interrupting what?” Erica leered, climbing onto the hood of the Jeep to sit beside Stiles.

“All the crazy wild sex we were about to have.” Stiles replied sarcastically as Erica linked her arm through his.

“Stiles, you wouldn’t have sex up here.” Erica laughed. “You’re always complaining that it’s too cold when you’re indoors. No way are you taking off your pants and doing the nasty in the woods. Your dick would probably fall off if you tried.”

“You’re not allowed to talk about my dick.” Stiles complained, pulling his arm away from Erica and giving her a shove. “Only Derek’s allowed to talk about my dick.”

“It’d be nice if no one talked about your dick.” Scott called over his shoulder, tearing his attention away from throwing rocks over the cliff. Stiles pouted for a minute before sliding off the hood to join Scott and Isaac by the edge of the cliff, trying not to pay too much attention to the drop.

“How come you didn’t bring Allison?” He asked Scott as Isaac pitched another rock into the darkness.

“Because Lydia would have totally flipped if she’d left too.” Scott shrugged. “Anyway, this is kind of a pack thing.”

“Oh.” He looked over Scott’s shoulder to Isaac, who was staring down at the town below with a vacant expression on his face. “What about blonde girl?”

“Pack thing.” Isaac muttered with a shrug, turning away and walking back to where the others were standing around Stiles’ Jeep.

“You don’t mind that Allison’s not here, do you?” Stiles asked, poking Scott in the ribs.

“I guess not.” Scott replied, pulling a face. “I kind of wanted her to come, but she didn’t want to leave the party.” He shrugged and kicked a rock off the cliff edge.

“Hey Scott?” Stiles asked suddenly, fiddling with his phone in his pocket.

“Yeah?”

“Have I been a bad friend?” Stiles asked in a tentative whisper as he folded his arms across his chest. “Since I got with Derek?”

“What? No!”

“But we never seem to hang out anymore.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sat around the house crying when we don’t hang out.” Scott shrugged. “I’m happy for you, even if...”

“Dude, it’s been nearly six months, don’t say ‘even if it is Derek’. I’ll shove you off the cliff if you do.”

“Force of habit.” Scott grinned, throwing his arm over Stiles’ shoulder and hugging him. “I’m happy that you’re happy. I’m even a tiny bit pleased for Derek. Although I still think he’s kind of a butthole sometimes.”

“I can hear you, Scott.” Derek called from behind them, sounding a little affronted. Scott gave a snort of laughter and let go of Stiles, bending down to pick up another stone and whipping it off the cliff.

“Hey, can you come over mine tomorrow?” Stiles asked suddenly, nudging Scott’s foot with his own.

“Sure, want me to bring Isaac and the Xbox?”

“Umm, could you just bring yourself at first. There’s something me and Derek need your help with.”

“It’s not a sex thing, is it?” Scott asked suspiciously, dropping the stone he was holding and frowning at Stiles.

“Yes, consider this me propositioning you for a threesome.” Stiles sighed, rolling his eyes. “No, not a sex thing. We’re going to tell my dad.”

“Your dad already knows about you and Derek.”

“Werewolves, you tool. I know he knows about me and Derek. Did someone give you a stupid pill at the party?”

“Seriously? What if he goes and asks Allison’s dad for special bullets or something? Are you going to tell him about everyone? All of us?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.” Stiles shrugged. “He might be slightly less freaked out if he realises it’s not just Derek, that you’re, you know, wolfy too.”

“He might stop you seeing Derek.” Scott started before looking panicked and grabbing at Stiles’ arm. “Dude! He might stop us from hanging out!”

“I’m pretty sure he won’t.” Stiles replied, sounding more confident than he actually felt and hoping that no one caught the lie. “And seriously, dude, we’re like a dynamic duo. Parents and werewolves and Harris can’t keep us apart!”  He pulled Scott into a hug, which Scott eagerly returned, squeezing him tightly and lifting him off the ground slightly.

“Derek, McCall’s going to break your toy.” Erica crowed. “Break his legs in revenge!”

“No one’s breaking anyone.” Derek huffed as Scott let go of Stiles and they both sauntered back over to where the other’s stood. Stiles scrambled back onto the hood of the Jeep, grinning happily as Derek took a step back to stand between his legs again.  

“Don’t you think we should all get a say in this idiotic telling the sheriff plan?” Boyd asked Derek, rolling his eyes as Stiles leant forward and pressed a kiss below his ear. “It’s not just you two that it affects. What if he tells our parents?”

“He won’t.” Stiles mumbled, keeping his face pressed against the back of Derek’s neck on the basis that he was nice and toasty warm. “We’ll tell him not to.”

“He might.” Boyd replied. “We’re minors. He’s the sheriff.”

“Yeah,” Erica chimed in. “He’s probably legally obliged to tell our parents if we change species.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s no law that covers what to do if someone suddenly changes species.” Stiles grinned, turning his head and sticking his tongue out at Erica.

“Look, it’s my decision.” Derek told them gruffly. “I’m...”

“He’s the alpha!” Stiles squawked before Derek could finish his sentence. Derek made a huffy little noise of complaint, pinching Stiles’ thigh lightly as though he were upset that Stiles had just stolen his thunder. Derek’s alphaness clearly overruled any further objections as they fell silent for a moment before Erica started quizzing Isaac about why he’d made out with another girl “behind Tien’s back”. Stiles ignored them, leaning further forward so he could rest his chin on Derek’s shoulder and linking his fingers with Derek’s. For all Scott becoming a werewolf hadn’t been the high point of their lives, he was pretty sure he’d never been happier than he was at that moment, feeling the steady rise and fall of Derek’s breathing against his chest as he listened to their friends bickering affectionately and joking around them.

**. o o o .**

“Hey, dad?” Stiles called as they entered the house.

“In the den.”

“Could you come in the kitchen for a minute?”

“Dude, you sound like you’re about to have a heart attack.” Scott whispered as he followed Stiles and Derek into the kitchen. “Calm down!”

“I feel like I am!” Stiles whined. “What if he freaks out? He might ban me from seeing both of you. From seeing everyone!”

“We talked about this.” Derek told him, laying one hand between his shoulder blades to calm him. “We need to tell him. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. OK?”

Stiles made a strangled whimpering noise as he allowed Derek to steer him towards one of the chairs at the kitchen table and gently push him down into it. John strolled into the kitchen, a concerned expression crossing his face when he saw the serious look Derek and Scott were sharing. Stiles made a little flailing motion at Derek until he pulled out the chair next to him and grabbed for his hand under the table.

“Dad, there’s something we need to tell you.” Stiles started, looking down at the table top.

“We? All three of you?” John asked, taking a seat.

“More something Scott and Derek need to tell you.”

“I’m listening.” John replied, a confused frown on his face.

“You’re going to have to be really open minded about this, dad.” Stiles continued, ignoring the glance Derek and Scott shared. “And like not interrupt either of them until they’re done talking.”

“OK.”

“So, I guess I should probably start.” Stiles frowned. “Cause some of it was sort of my fault.” He looked from his dad to Scott and shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “Um. Remember that night? When you were looking for...for Derek’s sister’s body?” He squeezed Derek’s hand tightly as he spoke. “It kind of started then. For Scott and me, anyway. Um.”

“Right...” John was looking even more confused now, as was Scott, Stiles noticed when he snuck a look at him. His dad at least had had seventeen years of making sense of his run on sentences. He looked nervously at Derek, who squeezed his hand and rolled his eyes.

“What do you know about werewolves?” Derek asked before Stiles could say anything else.

“They’re not real?” John tried, frowning.

“That’s where you’re wrong...”

**~fin~**


	59. Epilogue I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the first of the three epilogues I've been banging on about! Things in _italics_ are Derek's thoughts, things in regular text are Stiles; dates refer to how long after the ending these take place. My plan for the follow up stuff I've been threatening is to write little fics based on some of these (maybe all of them!), probably 1000 wordish things a piece!

Epilogue the First: Favourite Things & Happy Times

(+1 day) _John doesn't threaten him, or run to Argent for wolfsbane bullets or demand that he stop seeing Stiles once he's found out the truth. He simply claps him on the shoulder and mutters something about "werewolves explains a whole lot"._

(+3 years) Derek holding Erica and Boyd's three week old daughter, Callie, like she's a bomb that's about to go off and not being able to pass her back quickly enough when her eyes flash bright blue. Derek is terrified at the idea of having to cope with a baby werewolf in the pack.

(+7 months) When his dad finally gives up on banning him from staying at Derek's apartment, or Derek from staying at their house on the basis that they're _safe_.

(+7 months) _That Stiles stays at his apartment more often than not because he feels weird sleeping in the same bed as Derek when his dad's in the house._

(+2 years, 6 months) The look of vague horror on Derek's face as he watches him get his first tattoo, gripping his hand tightly as he giggles at the sensation of the tattoo machine vibrating across his hip bone. He's getting a triskele to match Derek's, the spirals surrounded by runes that Deaton taught him, the meanings of which he won't reveal to anyone else.

(+7 years) _Stiles drunkenly sucker punching Peter in the back of the head when he crashes Allison and Scott's wedding reception and asks Allison's 19 year old step-sister, Bethany, if she "has a little bit of werewolf in her" and then asking if she wants some when she says no._

(+8 months) Derek squeezing his hand tightly as they stand together beside his mother's graveside and being able to do the same for Derek when he finally works up the courage to visit his family's graves for the first time.

(+8 months) _Stiles holding him in the cemetery when he breaks down beside his mother's grave. They sit awkwardly on the damp grass for nearly three hours, Stiles stroking his back and saying nothing while he cries._

(+1.5 years) Derek meeting his grandmother for the first time, eating a whole plate of cabbage rolls without complaint and getting on better with her than he could ever have hoped, which is frankly much more concerning than if he hadn't got on with her at all.

(+1.5 years) _The look of wounded shock on Stiles' face when he finds out his grandmother has taught Derek how to pronounce his first name and the small growl of complaint he gets every time he uses it outside of the bedroom._

(+2 years) The look on Derek's face when he comes home from his first semester at college, his hair shaved into a short Mohican.

(+2 years, 5 days) _Sitting in the Stilinski's kitchen and laughing with John when Stiles storms into the house and buzzes off his Mohican, which he'd inexplicably dyed blue four days earlier. He later reveals that he got rid of it because Isaac told him he looked like a parrot._

(+1.5 years) _Watching Stiles and the rest of the pack graduate high school together and the party that Lydia throws afterwards, which is all good fun until Stiles falls out of a tree and breaks his arm._

(+1.5 years) The picture of an extremely sad looking wolf and the words "you're such an idiot" that Derek scrawls across his cast.

(+2 years, 11 months) Derek driving them up to Portland so they can watch 30 Seconds to Mars on his 20th birthday.

(+2 years, 11 months) _Stiles throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him like nothing else in the world matters besides the two of them during his favourite song._

(+2 years, 11 months) _Running into the band in a slightly seedy coffee shop, which he's taken Stiles to in a bid to sober him up. Stiles proceeds to drunkenly inform Jared Leto that "my boyfriend totally has you on his list" before he falls over a stool by the counter. A less than impressed coffee shop owner suggests it might be a good idea if they left._

(+2 years, 11 months) _Stiles waking up sometime later in the front seat of the Camaro, stinking of cheap bourbon and muttering choice phrases such as "oh god" and "did I really do what I think I did?" before offering Derek an 'apology blow job' when it is confirmed that yes, yes he did do that/say that._

(+2 years, 11 months) Derek accepting his apology 2 hours and 14 minutes later, somewhere around the California/Oregon border, leaning up against the side of the Camaro. Derek will later admit that he partly accepted the 'apology' just so Stiles would stop talking.

(+1 year, 7 months) Derek just rolling his eyes and sighing when Stiles gets his third speeding ticket the third time he's allowed to drive the Camaro unsupervised. He tries to blame it on the music he was listening to at the time. Derek uses this as further supporting evidence for his "Stiles has terrible taste in music" argument and reminds him that My Chemical Romance are never acceptable.

(+1 year, +2 years, +3 years, +4 years, etc) _Continuing their Christmas tradition of watching Die Hard with the Sheriff every Christmas eve._

(+3 years) _Realising that Stiles still hasn't seen the ending._

(+6.5 years) Moving in with Derek into the house he bought for them.

(+6 years, 6 months) Derek doing his "why is this my life" face when he comes home one night to find Stiles and Erica cackling together on the couch while Erica's 3 year old daughter pulls all of Derek's carefully arranged DVDs off their shelves.

(+6 months) _The stupidly happy look Stiles gets on his face when he walks in to a room._

(+1 year) The fact that Derek smiles easily around the rest of the pack now, even if he does only laugh properly when they're alone.

(+1 year) The fact that Derek's happy.

(+4 years) _Stiles angrily getting in the face of a new barista at his favourite coffee shop, calling her a "hipster owl bitch" when she sneers at the combination of syrups he requests in his coffee. He waits until Stiles has calmed down some six hours later and points out that he does do terrible things to innocent cups of coffee._

(+2 years) The infrequent occasions when Derek tops.

(+1 year) _The way Stiles makes his name sound so obscene when he comes._

(+5 years, 3 months) _Stiles phoning from college in a panic because he's going to be graduating in a few weeks and that means "being a real person at last"._

(+5 years, 3 months) Derek showing up a few hours later to calm him down.

(+6 months) _That Stiles still eats his pickles for him when they go to McDonalds._

(+9 years, 7 months) Derek sitting on the floor to play with Scott and Allison's two year old son, Charlie, looking far less terrified of him than he ever did of Boyd and Erica's daughter when she was little. Charlie, much like Callie, seems to think that Derek is the most amazing thing to ever happen to him and spends a good hour clambering all over him and messing up his hair.

(+3 months) _Stiles' laugh._

(+4 years, 2 months) Finding out from Deaton that with the addition of a few choice herbs, werewolves can get drunk. Very drunk. He takes a slightly sick enjoyment in watching Derek get drunk for the first time in his life at 27 years old.

(+4 years, 2 months, 1 day) Derek curled up in bed, a blanket pulled up over his head, adamant that doesn't have a hangover, but that he's actually dying and wondering why Stiles won't do anything to help him.

(+1 year) _The way Stiles remembers all their anniversaries, including but not limited to the day they got together, the first time they had sex, the day Stiles told him he loved him and the day of the 'epic talk'. The word 'sexversary' is thankfully not mentioned._

(+4 years) That his Jeep is still running because Derek uncomplainingly pays for all of it's repairs.

(+2 years, 3 months) _Stiles following him through the woods, chattering inanely and swinging a baseball bat in an attempt to look threatening. Despite Stiles' claims that the bat's made of mountain ash and is "pretty much a lethal weapon in his hands", the only damage he's managed to achieve so far has involved him dropping it on Isaac's foot and in some bizarre act of contortion, hitting himself in the elbow._

(+7 years) Derek doesn't complain when he watches movies with the commentary on, or when he comes to bed at 4:30 in the morning because he got distracted looking something up on Wikipedia and forgot he needs to sleep.

(+2 years) That Derek wears the red chucks he bought him for Christmas, despite complaining repeatedly that red isn't his colour.

(+2 years, 5 months) _That Stiles has come home from college for the summer and stays at his apartment rather than at his dad's house._

(+2 years, 5 months) _The pancakes with rashers of bacon cooked into them that Stiles makes when he stays at his apartment._

(+2 years, 5 months) That Derek has finally admitted he likes pancakes.

(+1.5 months) Derek giving him a key to his apartment so he can come over any time he wants.

(+2 months) _Coming home to find Stiles curled up asleep in his bed, wrapped up in blankets and sucking his thumb, closely followed the look of dismay on Stiles' face when he finds out he's taken a photo on his cell phone of said thumb sucking incident._

(+4 months) _Realising that he can't remember when his bed didn't smell of Stiles._

(+3 years, 3 months) That he can wake Derek up in the middle of the night with stupid questions like "if you'd gone to Hogwarts, what would you see in the Mirror of Erised?" and "if our cars were transformers, who do you think would win in a fight?" and that Derek readily answers all the stupid questions as though they were the most important thing in the world.

(+7 months) _The way Stiles unashamedly sings along to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme tune every time they watch it._

(+12 years) Signing the adoption paperwork. They name their daughter Remy Libena Stilinski-Hale after Derek's grandmother and Stiles' mom respectively.

(+3 years, 3 months) _Stiles gets it when he has bad days and seems to know instinctively whether he needs to be left alone or if he needs to bury his face against Stiles' neck and cry. The bad days are getting further and further apart._

(+2 months) _Stiles vetoes Valentine's Day, declaring that it's a lame and terrible holiday and insists that they wait until March and celebrate Steak and Blow Job day instead._

(+3 years) The way Derek still looks a tiny bit nervous when he tells him he loves him.

(+5 years) Finally being allowed to look at the sketchbook he bought Derek for his 23rd birthday. Derek has amassed other sketchbooks over the years and he's been allowed to look at all of those, but the first one remained a secret for a long time. There's a lot of drawings of himself in there.

(+15 years) _Adopting their second child; a little boy who they name Oliver Joseph. Stiles vetoes having his first name being used as Oliver's middle name on the basis that it's a stupid, stupid name and he doesn't want to saddle his child with it._

(+7 years) Derek has a habit of leaving little notes hidden in odd places around the house. Stiles likes to be reminded that Derek loves him when he opens his boxes of pop tarts.

(+6 years) _Stiles is still wearing the old leather jacket he gave him for his 17_ _th_ _birthday._

(+11 years) Watching Derek calm Scott down when he finds out he and Allison's second son, Alfie is a born werewolf, unlike Charlie who was born human.

(+3 years) _Visiting Stiles at college and going out with him and his friends. Stiles insists they go for pizza at a new restaurant that's opened near campus. Stiles is adamant that it serves 'real, honest to god New York pizza' and that Derek will love it. Derek doesn't love it but doesn't have the heart to tell Stiles that because he looks so pleased with himself for doing something nice for Derek._

(+13 years) Derek's had his and Remy's names tattooed on his chest. To be slightly more specified, right over his heart.

(+5 months) _Speeding along narrow roads to the coast because Stiles has been on a Pirates of the Caribbean kick recently and is determined to see if the green flash at sunset is true._

(+5 months) Falling asleep on the deserted beach with Derek because he doesn't want to drive all the way back to Beacon Hills. It gets seriously cold during the night and a seagull _bullies_ him when they wake up the next morning and he's on the receiving end of an epic telling off when he gets back for staying out with Derek all night and not calling but it's totally worth it.

(+17 years, 10 months) Coming home from work to find that Derek has built a pillow and blanket fort behind the couch in the lounge for Remy and Oliver and is hiding in there with them.

(+8 years) _That Stiles doesn't even realise that Lydia's pissed off at him for wearing turquoise converse to her wedding because he's too busy waxing lyrical about how good Derek looks in his suit._

(+4 months) Derek doing his serious face and sitting him down with the phrase 'we need to talk'; he has a minor panic that Derek's about to break up with him only to be told that he's Derek's anchor now and 'is that OK?'. Stiles has never been more OK with anything in his life.

(+2 months) _The way Stiles can't seem to kiss him properly when he tops, as though his brain has short circuited._

(+1 year, 3 months) Finding out that Derek keeps _stuff_. It's one thing for him to still have the bottle cap from the night Derek let him stay all those months ago, to still have the ticket stub from the first time they went to the movies together (Iron Man 3) but it completely floors him to find out that Derek still has the receipt that he scribbled on, the disposable chop sticks from the first time he had dinner with Stiles and John and a pebble that he found at the lake one day that's shaped kind of like a heart. Derek had scoffed at him when he'd pressed it into the palm of his hand, but had pocketed it anyway and squirreled it away in a box.

(+3 years) _Tracing the spirals of Stiles' triskele tattoo with his tongue and having Stiles do the same to him._

(+7 years) _Stiles constantly watches cooking shows but still can't cook much better than he could when he was 16._

(+1 year, 8 months) Derek drives him up to Arcata when he starts college. The guy who was suppose to be his dorm mate deferred at the last minute, meaning that he has a double room all to himself for the first semester of college. Derek doesn't go back to Beacon Hills for a week.

(+16 years) Derek's added Oliver's name to the tattoo on his chest.

(+18 years) _Stiles making up nonsense songs about Remy while they're making a birthday cake for John._

(+5 months) Finally going on an actual date. They go to watch Iron Man 3. Derek claims afterwards that he has no idea what happened in the movie because the theatre was too loud and too full of distracting scents and the floor was too sticky. He points out to Derek that the hickeys on his neck suggest that something or _someone_ else was too distracting.

(+5 years, 5 months) _Going to Stiles' college graduation._

(+8 years) Being surprised with a trip to New Orleans, not because it's any particular anniversary or significant date, but because Derek just wants to do something nice for him. New Orleans is every bit as weird and wonderful as he'd hoped.

(+3 years) _Telling Stiles he's going to surprise him, either with a day trip somewhere, or a date a restaurant or anything really, and then refusing to tell him any details. Stiles gets very worked up when he can't immediately Google or wiki everything about what they might be doing. It's hilarious._

(+7 months) Spending the summer hanging out with the pack; unlike last summer, Derek joins in with all the cheesy stuff Erica insists they do.

(+7 months) _Lying in the long grass near the lake watching Stiles sleeping in the late afternoon sunshine; he smells of coconuts and happiness._

(+19 years) _Standing in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Stiles and Oliver finger painting. It's hard to say who is having more fun, or more covered in paint._

(+4 months) Derek demands to know what the "porn things" are that he wants to try; a few videos on RedTube and a rather embarrassing conversation later, he gets to try them. Derek certainly doesn't complain.

(+13 years) _Stiles still acts like giving him a blow job is the best thing in the world and is every bit as enthusiastic about it as he was when he was 16, although his technique has improved a lot since then._


	60. Epilogue II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the previous epilogue, things in _italics_ are Derek, normal text is Stiles. Dates (in brackets) refer to how long after the last chapter each of these events occur.
> 
> I know some people don't like the out of chroniclogical order approach I've gone for, but I like it, so sorry! As I've explained to a few people in comments, I figure if you asked someone to tell you all their favourite memories over the course of a relationship, they wouldn't give you a year by year run down, it'd be more organic and all over the place. (Especially if you were asking someone like Stiles!)
> 
> Enjoy C: xx
> 
> (p.s. This epilogue was meant to try and cut some the saccharine sweetness of the last one, but I don't think I've entirely succeeded. Sorry!)

Epilogue the Second: Irritations, Annoyances & Sadder Times

(+6 months) _Having to ride in the Jeep with Stiles instead of driving his own car – for a number of reasons. 1, Stiles drives too fast and never looks at the road. 2, Stiles plays terrible music in the Jeep. 3, Stiles never cleans the Jeep out and it smells like old McDonalds. 4, The Jeep just isn’t as cool as his Camaro._

(+10 years) It takes Derek forever to get dressed for anything. Telling Derek that all his clothes look the same will generally end up with Derek taking twice as long to get dressed; likewise, telling him he’s behaving like a petulant child by taking twice as long only makes him take even longer.

(+4 years) _Stiles always picks sides when Erica and Boyd have their apparently scheduled three month argument, break up and reconciliation. He’s generally of the opinion that Erica is the one being unreasonable about whatever it is they’ve argued about._

(+4 years) Derek sides with Boyd, regardless of what he and Erica have argued about.

(+6 years) _Phone calls from Scott that start with the phrase “Stiles got drunk”, inevitably followed by “and you need to come and get him”._

(+7 years) As a born werewolf, Derek still doesn’t really grasp the concept of him getting sick and either completely overreacts to minor coughs and sniffles, or stomps around in a huff telling him to “just get over it” like he did when he got mono the summer before his junior year at college.

(+6 years, 6 months) _It took Stiles five weeks to pack up all his stuff from his dad’s place and actually move it over to their house because he kept getting distracted by things when he was packing. One evening, he found Stiles sat on the floor completely engrossed in his old high school biology textbook, empty boxes and books strewn all around him as he read about osmosis._

(+2 years) _Stiles still gets peculiarly angry when he doesn’t get jealous._

(+5 months)Derek doesn’t _get_ Adventure Time

(+1 year) Peter comes back. He’s been with the Alpha pack but apparently grown disillusioned with them and spent three months as an omega. Derek welcomes him back cautiously.

(+1 year) Derek won’t admit that he signed up to Pottermore.

(+8 years) _Stiles impulsively buys random crap that clutters up the house every time he goes, ostensibly, to meet Erica for coffee. Derek is convinced that Erica is goading Stiles into buying crap because she knows how much he hates it._

(+7 years) _Stiles can still be, well, kind of a dick, or when he’s with Erica, the sarcastic half of a bitchy nightmare (Erica’s the obnoxiously rude half). He’ll generally be dick-ish towards new people until it’s obvious that Derek or Scott have accepted them. It made life very difficult when Derek allowed a single beta, Monique and her nine year old daughter, Devon, to join the pack after the rest of their pack were killed by hunters; Stiles snarked and bitched about Monique behind her back for several weeks until Scott snapped and told him to knock it off and that couldn’t he see Derek trusted her implicitly._

(+11 years, 2 months) Derek seriously suggesting while they were waiting to hear from the adoption people that if they get a boy they should give him Stiles’ first name. Despite grumpily informing Derek that doing so would be tantamount to child abuse, Derek persists in suggesting it.

(+11 years, 2 months) _That the argument over what to name their prospective child continues for over a week. He finally loses his temper when Stiles bites him hard on the arm one evening in the kitchen, yelling at Stiles that 28 year olds who are on the verge of becoming parents should not bite their partner of nearly 12 years to make a point. He storms out of the house and drives around for several hours before slinking back in just after midnight and falling asleep on the couch._

(+4 years) Derek encourages his dad’s takeout habit.

(+7 years, 1 month) _Stiles’ grandmother passes away and he’s completely inconsolable for three weeks. He finds Stiles slumped against the fridge one afternoon, huge sobs shaking his shoulders. A few hours later, Stiles tells him he’s upset because he thinks no one will remember how to pronounce his name now his baba is gone._

(+4 years, 6 months) Derek and his dad have fallen into a concerning routine of going to the bar together once a month since he left for his senior year at college. He absolutely does not want to know what they talk about.

(+9 months) _Stiles still takes great pleasure in making the occasional dog joke._

(+various dates) Derek does things, huge important things, without asking him first and is then confused when he freaks out. Prime examples include discussing moving in together instead of staying at each other’s apartments all the time which to Derek meant “go out and buy us a house” or Derek coming home one afternoon with a shifty look on his face before pulling his shirt collar down far enough to show him the tattoo he’s had of both Remy’s name and Stiles’ first name. He sulks until he realises that Derek’s had the tattoo done over his heart, which, fuck, is pretty romantic. He still finds it amusing that all their friends think _he’s_ the impulsive one in this relationship.

(+15 years) _Stiles freaks out whenever Remy shows even the tiniest hint of throwing a tantrum, leading to him giving in rather than deal with a crying three year old. his complaints that he doesn’t want his child raised solely on pudding cups do not make Stiles freak out any less, or convince him he should try feeding her something different._

(+15 years, 2 months) Remy eats her peas without complaint when Derek gives her dinner. He does not like being outsmarted by his daughter.

(+1 year, 1 month) Derek is always stealing his t-shirts and stretching them out so they look all wrong when he gets them back.

(+ 6 years, 10 months) _Stiles turns the thermostat up too high whenever it gets cold rather than putting on more layers._

(+2 years) Derek still won’t tell him who is on his list. He’s tried numerous times to get it out of Derek, and has a sneaking suspicion that Jared Leto is on there somewhere, but still has no clue as to who the other four people might be.

(+7 months) Derek calling his Jeep a “piece of shit” during some ridiculous argument in the woods before storming off and walking home. He demands that Derek apologises _to the Jeep_ before he’ll let him ride in it again.

(+17 years) _Coming home to find Stiles showing Remy pictures of *that* cat from the internet and hearing the words “doesn’t it look just like daddy”. Being followed around the house and teased by a five year old about how he is a “grumpy daddy” is not how he planned on spending his afternoon._

(+9 years) Derek lets Isaac use their guest room to hook up with random women he meets in bars because Isaac doesn’t want them to know where his apartment is.

(+4 months) For all he’s quite the tactile guy with the pack, Derek still isn’t really into public displays of affection.

(+6 months) _Stiles thinks the produce section of the grocery store is an appropriate place to jam his tongue in Derek’s mouth and grab at his ass. Likewise with the coffee shop they frequent, the gas station, Stiles’ dad’s kitchen, the mall parking lot, Erica’s bathroom...he could probably go on listing the various inappropriate places Stiles chooses forever._

(+13 years) Derek has an unhealthy blanket and scatter cushion obsession and is adamant you can never have enough of either. The house is disturbingly full of both, and he’s given up any hope of ever getting anything else in the linen closet.

(+10 months) Derek still drives the Jeep like he’s angry at it and wants it to suffer. No amount of begging and pleading and threats of blow job bans will convince him to be nicer to it.

(+11 months) _Stiles drives the Camaro like a fucking lunatic._

(+5 months) _Stiles leaves trash in the Camaro._

(+12 years, 3 months) The way Derek reverted to his hyper-vigilant, paranoid old ways for several months after they first adopted Remy. It wasn’t a usual ‘new parent’ worry, it was Derek at his terrified worst, convinced something bad was going to happen to their child and that he wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop it. Watching him pacing the house every night nearly broke his heart.

(+16 years) _Listening to Stiles explain to Remy why she and Oliver only have one grandparent. She’s come home upset from kindergarten and finally manages to explain that the class was asked to draw pictures of all of their family and her now former best friend Madison started quizzing her on why she didn’t have a granny and where was her mom._

(+5 years, 6 months) Derek isn’t entirely happy when he moves back to Beacon Hills after college and gets an apartment with Scott and Isaac. He still loves Derek to pieces and spends most nights at the loft, but still isn’t quite ready to take the step of moving in together just yet despite having talked about it for years.

(+1 year, 1 month) _Stiles doesn’t like his loft apartment and complains that he should have kept the old apartment for sentimental reasons._

(+18 years) The assumptions people make about their family. Remy and Oliver both have much darker hair than he does and people generally assume they are Derek’s biological children. Derek tells him that it’s not worth arguing with complete strangers about this, but damn it, he’s their dad too and people should acknowledge that.

(+19 years, 4 months) _Stiles still picks all of the marshmallow bits out of the Lucky Charms and leaves him to deal with the fallout of marshmallowless Lucky Charms over breakfast. Oliver doesn’t care one bit, because the cereal has always been his favourite part. Remy throws a tantrum of epic proportion the third time it happens._

(+10 months) _Stiles keeps trying out pet names; he isn’t entirely sure if Stiles is trying to be cute or a pain in the ass, but suspects its probably both._

(+5 years) Derek lets Peter hang out in his loft apartment and trusts him completely.

(+10 years) Derek threatens to take the Jeep to the junkyard because he’s fed up of it taking up ‘valuable garage space’. The Jeep sadly died a death six months earlier but he refuses to be parted from it. His dad eventually agrees to it being kept in his double garage because there’s space for it and he’s fed up of listening to their stupid arguments.

(+6 years, 6 months) Derek won’t do the laundry and claims it’s because the laundry detergent smells too strong and bothers him.

(+5 years, 4 months) _Stiles keeps bitching about Peter and doesn’t understand why he trusts him. He tries to reason with Stiles and explain that he can just feel that he should trust him now, but Stiles won’t accept that as an answer._

(+3 months) The painfully embarrassing lecture they get from his dad when he finds out they’re sleeping together. He doesn’t point out to his dad that they’ve been having sex since before his birthday.

(+4 years, 5 months) _Rogue hunters come to town and target the pack. Stiles manages to get himself shot in the shoulder when he deliberately gets between Scott and one of the hunters. Stiles later makes excuses that he did it because wolfsbane won’t affect him._

(+13 years) Peter dies. Supposedly of natural causes, although he’s got his own private suspicions that getting himself raised from the dead had something to do with it, in some kind of messing with the laws of nature kind of way. Even before Peter passed away, he didn’t really trust him and finds it difficult to deal with how hard Derek is taking it.

(+13 years) _Stiles can’t seem to understand why he is so upset about Peter dying. Peter was his last link to his family and despite having a family of his own now, the fact that he’s the very last surviving member of his family really throws him._

(+6 months) _Being harangued into Hot Topic so Stiles can buy more ridiculous cartoon character underwear._

(+7 months) Derek’s still more than happy to take Isaac to the mall for “wolfy bonding time” but hates going shopping with him.

(+5 years) Derek still thinks Jackson is a reasonable person. Jackson is still a massive tool; college did nothing to mellow him out or make him less tool-ish.

(+3 years, 6 months) _Stiles has a panic attack one evening when he’s home from college and staying at the loft; it takes all night to calm him down and he has no idea why it happened when he’s able to breath and talk properly again. It breaks his heart to see Stiles sobbing and shaking, gasping for breath as he tries to assure him he’s OK._

(+1 year, 9 months) Watching Derek drive away from his college dorm. He didn’t realise how hard it was going to be to say goodbye.

(+9 years) _Stiles wears socks to bed and then somehow kicks them off in his sleep. The bottom of their bed is full of escaped socks that Stiles can’t be bothered rounding up and washing._

(+15 years) People (the pack, their friends, his dad) keeping asking why they “still aren’t married”.


	61. Epilogue III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I think I'm J.K.Rowling or something, this final epilogue is set twenty years into the future. It's not a proper chapter, just little sentences about where everyone is up to! Thank you to everyone who stuck with this and left comments and kudos etc C: xx

Epilogue the Third: (+20 years)

**Stiles** still feels smug on a regular basis when he can say to people that he’s still with the guy he fell in love with in high school.

He’s still drifting from job to job, getting bored with most things after a year or two, but as they don’t really need the money, it doesn’t seem to matter all that much; he’s currently working at the local paper and thinks he might just stick this out.

He loves that Derek’s grown a proper beard and isn’t at all jealous that he can’t seem to do the same.

His favourite days are lazy Sundays when the kids are still in bed, or even better, when they’ve been able to pack them off to Scott and Allison’s for the day and it’s just him and Derek in the house; they inevitably spend these mornings in bed, either curled around each other and talking quietly about nothing or having the lazy, easy sex that he knows Derek loves.

He’s still slightly scared by how much he loves their children and still has wobbly moments every so often where he’s convinced that he’s too immature and irresponsible to be a father. Sometimes he’ll catch Derek just staring happily at him, across the kitchen table or over Remy and Oliver’s heads, with this look on his face like he still can’t quite believe this is their life now.

He’s got a tattoo on the inside of his left bicep of an anchor and likes to tell people who don’t know about Derek’s true nature that it’s because he wanted to run away to be a sailor; only the pack know it’s because that’s what he is to Derek.

He’s concerned that Oliver’s starting to show signs of having ADHD, although Derek thinks he’s worrying over nothing and reminds him that his ‘favourite person in the entire world has ADHD’ and it doesn’t bother him; he still occasionally finds it weird when Derek is overly soppy and romantic, mostly because, well, he still looks like Derek.

He adores the way Derek calls Oliver “Ollie bug” and still gets down on the floor to play with him, blowing raspberries on his stomach and turning him upside whenever Oliver demands it.

He’s slightly worried by Remy telling him that Callie is her “favourite grown up” and that she wants to be just like when she is a grown up; he privately hopes she doesn’t turn out anything like Callie, who is one of the most terrifying teenagers he’s ever met, and he went to school with Lydia Martin.

Sex with Derek is still awesome, despite any snide comments Erica makes about how he wouldn’t really know, having never slept with anyone else; he’s never had any desire to sleep with anyone other than Derek and just laughs off her comments.

He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of watching Derek playing with the kids.

He’s still got a list, just in case.

**. o o o .  
**

**Derek** still has days where he’s convinced he’s either in a coma and imaging all this, or if not, died at some point and no one told him and he’s in heaven. He’s never voiced this particular concern to Stiles in case it makes everything go away.

He loves quiet week day mornings when Stiles has taken Remy to school and is off at work and it’s just him and Oliver in the house together; he’s not looking forward to when Oliver starts kindergarten and he can’t have his son all to himself anymore.

He likes their new house, but still misses the old one, the first place he and Stiles shared together.

He finally agreed to have the house in the woods pulled down six years ago after Peter passed away and there was no one left to argue with him over his decision; the house was well beyond the point of repair and the remainder of the roof had already come down a few years earlier but he still couldn’t bring himself to watch. The pack, his pack, had all done their best to help him get through the few days it took for the house to come down; Erica had taken Remy for the duration to give him and Stiles some privacy. Stiles had been mostly quiet, there when he needed his arms around him for comfort, or giving him space when he needed it without question.  

He had an evasive and circuitous dispute last week with Remy about why they couldn’t get a dog which culminated in her shouting “ugh, daddy, just admit it’s because you’re just a stupid werewolf and it would argue with you!” down the stairs at him; he pretended he couldn’t hear Stiles laughing at him from the lounge.

They told Remy when she was six that he’s a werewolf, when she started asking questions about Alfie and why he didn’t go to kindergarten like she did; he thinks they’ll probably wait until Oliver is a little older before they tell him.

He still doesn’t really work; his family were always rich before the fire and life insurance policies for eleven people go a long way if you’re careful.

He takes Remy for hikes in the woods, leaving Oliver at home with Stiles, and shows her all the places he used to play with Laura when he was little, the place where Joseph built a rope swing for them when he was Remy’s age, the place where he once lived. Remy holds his hand and nods solemnly before asking for more stories about ‘Auntie Laura’. He knows Laura would have loved Remy and Oliver, and would have undoubtedly spoilt them rotten and told them about all of the stupid things he did when he was a kid.

His favourite mornings are peaceful summer mornings when he can wake up and just watch Stiles, enjoying his unhurried transition from sleep to wakefulness and the slow, sleepy smile he gives him when he finally opens his eyes.

Beacon Hills has been quiet, properly quiet, with no rogue hunters or encroaching packs for five years now and is showing no signs of reverting to the way it used to be.

He loves the pack, even though they all still drive him mad; they’re slightly unconventional, and he’s pleased that his family name means there is generally no incursions on their territory as a result, as many of the more traditional packs would not approve of the way in which he manages his. With the exception of Boyd, they all live within a six block radius of each other, and Boyd’s distance from the rest of the pack makes him no less involved. In fact, if you asked him, he’d tell you that Boyd’s his second, and always has been.

He wishes Stiles would occasionally wear underwear that isn’t covered in cartoon characters.

There’s still lots of sketchbooks in the house and drawing his children is one of his favourite pastimes.

He’s still got a list too, and he’s still not telling Stiles who is on it.

  **. o o o .**  


**Scott** is still happily married to Allison.

They own a house two blocks away from Stiles and Derek and take advantage this on a regular basis as Derek is always happy to babysit; last time Derek watched Alfie, he came home and announced that he wanted to marry Remy. He immediately phoned Stiles to tell him this and gets a seriously dramatic eye roll and sigh from Allison; he doesn’t care and figures that considering their plan for their parents to get married to each fell through, he and Stiles can at least settle for their children getting married.

He occasionally has times when he argues that Derek isn’t really his alpha and that he could “totally be an alpha if he wanted to”.

He wants more children, but Allison isn’t keen; Stiles offers to let him borrow Remy and Oliver, although he’s not sure if this was an attempt to change his mind or Allison’s.

He studied animal sciences at Chico and works as a vet tech at a clinic in the town where Boyd lives. He argues with Isaac regularly about who has the more important job out of the two of them.

He and Stiles, along with Isaac and occasionally Boyd, meet up at least once a month for boys’ night and go to the bar with a sneaky stash of herbs so Stiles isn’t the only one getting drunk. They tend to get up to much stupider antics when Boyd’s not there to be the voice of reason as Stiles still knows he can persuade them into ridiculous, and occasionally arrestable situations.

His mom comes round for dinner with them once a week and dotes on the boys; she also babysits on a regular basis so he and Allison can go out for date nights.

He hasn’t seen his father since the day before his wedding and is quite happy with this arrangement.

  **. o o o .**  


**Erica** finally called things off for good with Boyd when Callie was ten and they broke off their second engagement; she’s happy being single and still talks to Boyd on a regular basis, mostly about how their daughter has grown up to be an unholy terror.

She’s been going to Chico State for the last two years, having decided she wants to be a social worker; her timetable is arranged so she can drive over two days a week as there was no way she was moving away from Beacon Hills.

She and Callie argue regularly over Callie refusing to attend pack meetings, whether Callie should be allowed to tell her current boyfriend that she’s a werewolf, whether Callie should be allowed to have her tongue pierced; Erica is adamant she was never this bad when she was a teenager. Derek doesn’t agree.

She’s got a good group of friends from her classes at college and drives out to Chico to spend time with them on weekends when Callie is with Boyd. None of them know she’s a werewolf.

Going out with Stiles and thinking up new ways to wind Derek up is one of her favourite pastimes, mostly because they both instantly revert to behaving like they’re seventeen again and she can forget about having to deal with a bratty teenager when she gets home, or paying her bills or doing all the other grown up stuff she still can’t stand.

****. o o o .** **

**Boyd** moved to the next town over from Beacon Hills with his fiancée, Kelly, five years ago. They’ve had a son together, Anthony, and Kelly is in on the whole werewolf thing.

He meets up regularly with Derek to go to the bar and drink expensive whiskey that doesn’t affect either of them.

He’s working in aerospace engineering now, and despite having explained his job to the rest of the pack on several occasions, none of them really understand what he does.

Despite all the arguments he had with Erica in high school, he ended up attending the University of Washington instead of Columbia, which made things slightly easier when she had Callie and he needed to come back to Beacon Hills regularly.

He enjoys going out for drinks with Stiles, Scott and Isaac but privately thinks the three of them are still a little immature.

****. o o o .**   
**

**Isaac** will probably never settle down properly.

He’s had a series of semi-serious relationships since leaving college and has a daughter in San Francisco who he only gets to see a few times a year after he fell out with her mother; she’s called Camden and thankfully isn’t a werewolf, because that would have been too weird to explain.

He claims he’s happy with this lifestyle, but admitted to Derek once in a moment of vulnerability that he hadn’t shown in years that he’s envious of Derek and Stiles’ relationship and wishes that he had something like that.

He had an ill-advised week long fling with Lydia shortly after she and Jackson parted ways for good; they’re something approaching friends now and neither one ever mentions the fact that they a) slept together and were b) caught in the act by Stiles and Scott.

Everyone is convinced that he’s also slept with Allison’s stepsister, Bethany, but Isaac’s saying nothing on that subject.

He’s suggested to Erica several times that they should get married if they’re both still single when they’re 40 but she’s turned him down each time.

He moved into Stiles and Derek’s old house when they moved to their new place a few years ago because it was easier than having to deal with realtors and landlords when he moved out of his apartment.

He went to Chico State with Scott and really enjoyed being out of Beacon Hills for four years; he qualified as a nurse and currently works at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital.

****. o o o .** **

**Allison** went to Portland State for college and qualified as a teacher.

She works at Beacon Hills elementary now, partly so she can keep an eye on Alfie. She insisted on homeschooling him until he was seven and could control his shift.

She’s been much happier since her father re-married and gave up hunting once and for all.

She visits with Lydia during school vacations, usually flying up to Montreal, as Lydia isn’t keen on coming back to Beacon Hills these days.

She gets on well with her stepmother Marla and her stepsister Bethany, although she sometimes still misses the closeness she once had with Kate, before everything.

Even though she and her father haven’t hunted for years, their name still commands respect from other hunters and they’re part of the reason Beacon Hills is so quiet these days.

She loves that none of her colleagues at school know about the supernatural or her family’s history, pleased that she has a place where she can just be ‘normal’. She’s been teaching Charlie archery for the last eight months and is thrilled that he’s showing a real talent for it.

****. o o o .** **

**Jackson** went to Cornell after graduating, and never really came back after to Beacon Hills after finishing his degree.

He lives just outside Ithaca now with Hannah, a girl he met in college.

He keeps in touch with Derek and Lydia and joined a small pack near Ithaca, eventually becoming their alpha some ten years ago. The previous alpha was some distant, many times removed relative of Derek’s and was pleased that Jackson was there to take over when she passed away.

He’s happy these days and he and Hannah are considering adopting a child at some point in the near future, because although they could have children naturally, he likes the idea of adopting, having finally made peace with his own history.

**. o o o .**

  **Lydia** went away to Princeton for college, where she studied molecular biology and met Gabriel, her now husband.

They moved up to Montreal, where Gabriel is originally from two years ago as part of her 15 year plan, which involved weddings, locations for houses, postdoctoral research plans for both her and Gabriel and a schedule for when she intended to have a child.

They have one son, Etienne, named for Gabriel’s father, and she’s adamant that she will not be having any more children. Etienne is six now and speaks both French and English; he’s grown bored of kindergarten already and keeps asking why they don’t read grown up books there.

She still keeps in contact with Jackson and has been to Ithaca a few times to visit him; she’s met Hannah and thinks she’s “nice enough”, although admitted to Allison in confidence that she thinks Hannah isn’t really good enough for Jackson.

****. o o o .**   
**

**John** is thrilled to be a grandfather and spends a lot of time with Remy and Oliver since he retired three years ago.

He likes to remind Stiles on a regular basis that his eight year old daughter is more mature than him, although he couldn’t be prouder with the man Stiles has grown up to be.

He still goes to the bar with Derek every so often because Stiles still has no interest in college football; John isn’t entirely sure that Derek does either, but they’ve been doing this for so long now that he doesn’t question it.

 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Whispers Through The Monitor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/821540) by [DeCaStDe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeCaStDe/pseuds/DeCaStDe)




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